My Prince Awaits
by HHHereComesTrouble
Summary: Stephanie's a princess, Paul's a peasant. When their worlds collide, chaos ensues...HHH/Steph.
1. Regrets

Somewhere on the globe, there lays a small island isolated from the rest of the world, distanced from the normal society by a massive body of water...

At the beginning of time, a family of peasants merely known as the McMahons' settled on the scrap of unexplored land. They gradually built it up, and before they knew it, they had created a decent civilization. As the calendar pages flipped, more settlers came along, in hopes of starting new lives and careers. They had dreams of raising children and enjoying financial success. Pretty soon, there were enough people to establish a formal government, specifically a monarchy. The patriarch of the McMahon family would go on to become king of the newfound country.

Generation after generation, there was a new king crowned—all male members of the McMahon family. Some had queens who loyally stood beside them, while others ruled individually. Either way, the family believed power was something soaked in their blood and engraved in their fate. It would carry on like that until the end of time.

In this day and age, Vincent Kennedy McMahon reigns as the sole king of this small country, which was later appropriately named "McMahon" in honor of its Irish founders. He has been in power for almost two decades since the sudden death of his father. Taking complete control of an entire nation was not only a great fortune, but a great responsibility. Nevertheless, he was well and ready when the time came.

His queen, Linda, and he have two children, one boy and one girl. After King Vince would pass, it was his son Shane's destiny to become ruler of the country and continue expanding the family legacy. However, Shane had shown little interest, which used to worry King Vince, until he recently discovered a solution. It was something that had never even crossed his mind, but was absolutely brilliant when thinking about it.

You see, Vince also has a daughter—Stephanie. At seventeen years old, she's the typical obedient, lives-up-to-expectations kind of girl. She easily goes along with her father's orders and wishes, despite her own doubts or fears. So an arranged marriage would work fine in her case. Plus, whomever she marries will become an heir to the almighty throne.

That is what Vince had been up to lately. He'd been meeting different young, promising men, who could be the possible groom for his baby girl.

It wasn't until recently that Vince found the perfect, ideal man: Kurt Angle—the chosen one, future husband to Stephanie Marie. Vince believed that Kurt was well-suited to become a part of his family and would certainly not disappoint. How could he? After all, he was educated, noble, and came from a wealthy family. It was everything his daughter needed. Everything the country needed in a leader.

Stephanie couldn't disagree more.

Her beliefs differed greatly from her father's when it came to love and marriage, and pretty much everything in general. She didn't care about what they had, where they came from, or even what their last name was. But like a good daughter, she pretended to approve of her father's choice. Her input was unwelcomed anyways.

To be honest, the whole idea sickened her. She only went along with it to please her parents. Letting them down was the worst sin she could ever commit. But that didn't change that she felt no affection or love for Kurt whatsoever. He wasn't in love with her; he was in love with the publicity that came with her.

As if Stephanie hadn't been confused with her emotions already, then _he _happened. The unexpected miracle. He practically tiptoed into her life and was still just lingering to this day. Well, in reality he'd actually sprinted at full force, but you get the point. Stephanie would always remember that day, though. Last year. October 25th.

_Stephanie was walking along the trail, on her way to some event organized by her mother. Apparently, it was "crucial" for her to be there. Stephanie had a hard time believing that. Whenever she went to these events, she just sat there or shook hands with people when her parents instructed her to.__ It would be a complete waste of time for all parties involved._

_Anyways, she was walking with her publicist, Jessica. Even after all these years, she still didn't really know what Jessica's job was. The only thing she ever did was inform her of events or appearances, and sometimes walked her there, to make sure she arrived safely. Today was one of those days._

_Jessica was as bad as any other noble. Stephanie usually just muted her out. Right now she was babbling about shoes and how much she hated walking. Stephanie sped up her pace, just so she could get ahead of Jessica and drown out her shrill complaints. _

_"Are you even listening, Steph?" Jessica called from behind. Stephanie turned around to answer her, but never even got to part her lips even the slightest bit. __"Watch out!" Jessica screamed._

_It all happened too entirely quick. Stephanie felt herself being pushed to the ground, and before she could even comprehend what was happening, her backside connected with the solid concrete. Wincing lightly, she moved her head around and widened her blue eyes. At first, she was confused. Then she saw the out-of-control horse carriage that almost hit her. The horses had come to an abrupt halt at the side of the street, and the driver of it was suffering from some sort of nervous breakdown. And then she saw the man who saved her life._

_His eyes were a beautiful hazel color. Not quite green or gold or brown, but something merely in between all three. Never had she seen a pair so breathtaking. He had long golden hair that came just past his shoulders, and a stubbly chin. She imagined his hair was softer than silk, and that was just from seeing it a few feet away. The thick muscles that adorned his body and his tan skin only made him that much more attractive. Stephanie blushed, when she realized people were standing around her. She'd been lost in a dream. A perfect, wonderful, unreal dream._

_"Are you alright?" the man asked, leaning down towards her face. His voice was husky and it made her breath catch in her throat. She was lucky that his presence didn't send her into cardiac arrest. After a few moments of silence, Stephanie realized she hadn't responded yet._

_All she could do was nod like an idiot, while he grabbed her hand and helped her rise to her feet. _

_"My, my dear! How sorry I am for almost running my horses into you! Please forgive me, oh sweet Princess," the driver pleaded helplessly. She felt her arm being released when she turned to face the poor soul who was begging on behalf of his life. Quite honestly, she didn't give a damn about almost dying or revenge or any of that. None of it mattered. _

_"Do you have any idea what would have happened if she was injured on my watch?" Jessica began hastily. But Stephanie should have known her publicist would be outraged._

_"Jess, let it go. It's fine. It was an accident," Stephanie muttered. She tried to get a glimpse at her hero again, but the crowd was growing at a rapid pace. He'd vanished as quick as he showed up. He was gone before she fully got the opportunity to take him in. _

_Pretty soon, her mother arrived on the scene wearing an expression of irritation, but not shock. She always expected her daughter to end herself up in these types of situations. Sometimes it was ridiculous at how often they occurred._

_"Oh, Stephanie! You're always getting yourself into trouble! Can't you be cautious one of these days? ...Let's go now, darling. We cannot be late again or your father will have a fit," Linda ordered, literally dragging her daughter by the arm. The pain of her mother's strong, slender fingers was unnoticeable as she lost herself in her own thought. She remembered exactly how his touch felt and his voice sounded. The image of his face was burned into her brain like a stone carving. Every detail of it had been easily memorized. For once in her life, she didn't want to forget someone she met, but longed for the polar opposite. Stephanie turned her head once more to look for him._

_But he was gone. _

_They say live your life with no regrets, but Stephanie regretted never asking the man his name. _


	2. Yes, Daddy

Stephanie groggily rolled out of bed and stretched her arms in the air. A yawn escaped her parted lips as she tried to remember what she had planned for today. Well, not what she had planned, but what her parents did. Last night, she vaguely recalled her father mentioning something about a public appearance. It was undoubtedly centered on the upcoming wedding, which would only make it all the more atrocious to attend. Stephanie just prayed that she would somehow be able to weasel her way out of going.

Unfortunately, she was running on empty with excuses. You name it, she'd said it. Although most of the time she just claimed that she had a prior commitment, usually with her brother or his wife, Marissa. And that usually did the trick because Shane happily went along with whatever Stephanie threw out there. She had his sympathy in its entirety. There was a gaping black hole in the timeline of her life where her childhood was supposed to go. She'd been robbed of it from the moment she could talk. Stephanie had been homeschooled early on and was given no choice but to go everywhere with her parents, so they could flaunt their little girl to the world.

To this day, Shane and Marissa were the only people with knowledge of Stephanie's hatred towards the royal lifestyle. All she ever yearned for was to be a regular teenager, with regular problems—grades, friends, boys. She longed to cram for tests until the wee hours of the morning, to cut class with friends, to gossip about crushed, to be asked out on a date by the boy of her dreams… Unfortunately, she didn't have time for those things, or even if she did, it was completely dictated by her father. God knows he wouldn't dare to allow her to do any of those things.

She dragged her bare feet across the floor to the closet, where she selected a pink, silk robe. Slipping it on over her nightgown, she cringed at the sound of pounding footsteps coming down the hall. They were irrefutably approaching her bedroom and not a minute had passed before here was a knock at the door. Without waiting for Stephanie to acknowledge him, her father barged in looking less than pleased.

"Stephanie! Why are you up so late?"

"I don't know. I guess I just slept in," she mumbled. The truth of the matter was that it wasn't even that late. The way her father put it, he made it sound like she slept through a tornado or something.

"Well I don't have time for you to 'guess,' young lady! We're meeting Kurt's family for lunch in two hours in the dining hall."

"Why do I need to wake up at the crack of dawn for something that starts in two hours? Plus, it's only right downstairs…" she trailed off. Stephanie knew it was a mistake to even question her father's logic. The impatient look in his eyes said it all.

"You can never be ready too early, Stephanie. Always remember that," Vince scolded her. He directed his finger at her in a lecturing manner for dramatic effect. And with that, he left the room, aggressively shutting the door behind him.

"Well, good morning to you too, Daddy," Stephanie muttered after hearing the door click shut. It made the floor vibrate briefly, but she was relieved to have some privacy. Perhaps it would be the only alone time she would have all day.

After grabbing a hot shower and dressing in a light blue ball gown, Stephanie waited for Tess to arrive. Her parents hired Tess to do Stephanie's hair and makeup every day, even after insisting them that she was perfectly capable of doing it herself. But, oh no. Like everything, they refused to hear it and made the decision without informing her. What a shame it would be to wear makeup that didn't complement her outfit. Apparently it would reflect badly on the whole family if something like that were to happen.

There was a light knocking at the door, which drew Stephanie out of her thoughts.

"Come in!" Stephanie hollered.

But the woman who emerged from the hallway was definitely not Tess, and nothing even relatively close to her. She was much younger—probably early twenties. She had tan skin, and light brown hair adorned with blonde tips. Her dark chocolate orbs and long eyelashes only made her beauty that much more evident. Stephanie couldn't help but think of her as some type of goddess from Greek mythology. She seemed too unreal to be a human being.

"Hi, I know this is kind of strange and um, awkward. But, I'm your new makeup…hair stylist. I'm Izzy," she finally said, holding out her hand. Stephanie gladly shook it. There was something about this girl that Stephanie found intriguing. Whether it was her incredible fashion sense or her spunky, abrupt attitude, she didn't know.

"I'm Steph, as you probably know," Stephanie replied. "It's funny. My parents never mentioned anything about hiring a new stylist."

"Yeah, it was kind of a last minute thing. Apparently, your old stylist left the country? Who knows…" she chuckled. "Anyways, let's get you ready for the day."

Stephanie sat down in front of the vanity, while Izzy looked at her for a few minutes.

"You know, I've seen pictures of you before and I must say, you look very different without makeup on. And that isn't a bad thing," Izzy added politely.

"I wear a lot on purpose. Not because I think it looks good, but it makes me unrecognizable when I'm just walking the streets, on the rare occasion I'm allowed to. I bet you've seen me before and never even knew I was the princess," Stephanie said with a smile.

"I'll take your word for it."

Izzy immediately got to work on embellishing her face with products and powders Stephanie had never even seen before. On top of that, she pulled her hair into a loose bun, with a few curled strands framing the soft edges of her face.

"There. All done," Izzy confirmed proudly.

"Well, we've got time to spare. Tell me about yourself," Stephanie suggested with shrug. She watched Izzy's face flicker with amusement.

"Of course. What is it that you would like to know?"

"First of all, how old are you?"

"I'm twenty, and yourself?"

"Seventeen," Stephanie replied.

"I would have guessed you were older."

"I get that a lot—my whole life, actually. I've always been on the taller side. And the more mature side," she said, which made Izzy laugh. "So when did you move here?"

"About four years ago. I used to live in the States. But I came here on an exchange program and just thought it was such a beautiful, peaceful place to live," Izzy said.

"That's because your parents don't rule the country," Steph smirked.

"You're not bad, kid," she said, almost surprised.

"Kid? I can't remember the last time someone called me a kid. I think I like it…or miss it."

Izzy smiled, not sure how to respond to Stephanie's admission. She seemed rather shy and lonesome than the spoiled brat that was to be expected. "You know you're nothing like I thought you would be. When I heard I would be the princess' stylist, well, I didn't know what to anticipate."

"Is that good?"

"Definitely," Izzy confirmed. She pulled Stephanie in for a short hug before quickly exiting the room. Steph felt comforted by the hug. It meant something, unlike the hugs she received from her parents or strangers she'd never even heard of. It was more like a Shane or Marissa hug. It was full of love and affection. And then she realized what it was.

Izzy was going to be her best friend.


	3. What is Love?

"Stephanie!" Linda hollered from the hallway.

Her head shot up at the sound of her mother's muffled voice. She had currently been lounging free of all cares on her bed with headphones plugged in each ear, attempting to drown out the rest of the world. If only it would last for more than ten minutes. That's all she needed—just a fraction of an hour all to herself. No screaming parents or bothersome fiancés.

Slowly, Stephanie maneuvered her tired limbs and managed to make it to a semi-sitting position on the bed. The sound of the door slamming against the wall as it opened nearly caused her to leap out of her own skin. Linda stepped forward with her hands propped on her hips. Letting the headphones fall from her ears to the bed comforter, Stephanie prepared herself for the lashing out she knew was well on its way. Quite honestly, she hadn't remembered doing anything wrong. But her idea of wrong differed greatly from her parents' idea.

"Stephanie! What are you doing all cooped up in here? The Angles' are downstairs waiting for us. Don't you want to see your fiancé?" Linda asked.

"Whatever you say, Mother," Stephanie responded emotionlessly. During her seventeen years of life, Stephanie had actually learned a few things when it came to talking to adults. First of all, they are always right. No matter how hard you try to persuade or convince them otherwise, they will merely view you as a child and shrug off all your opinions. So it really wasn't worth breaking a sweat over.

"Honey, you need to be more positive about life, because you've only got one," her mother lecture. So now her mom was some kind of motivational speaker? Stephanie just frowned. That was the second thing she'd learned about adults. They constantly put you down and neglect you, but when they _need_ something from you, well, that's when they really start kissing ass by pretending to care.

"Okay, Mom. I'll be down shortly. Just give me a few minutes to freshen up, okay?" Stephanie pleaded. Linda seemed satisfied with her daughter's request and left the room immediately. "And by freshen up I mean: prepare to enter hell on Earth."

In all honesty, she didn't even know Kurt. She couldn't tell you a thing about him, other than the things he made pretty blatant when he was present. But she preferred to keep it that way. The more she found out about the guy, the more her stomach twisted into knots. So she decided to just stick with her existing judgment of him. It went something along the lines of a pompous, conceited jerk with a wallet bigger than his brain. That sounded about spot-on.

Giving herself a quick glance in the mirror on the way out, Stephanie left her room and headed to the dining hall, with her white heels clicking against the wooden floors of the corridors.

Upon reaching her destination, she was greeted by a few unfamiliar guards and then five pairs of beady eyes, all glaring at her intently. Kurt's parents smiled courteously in her direction, obviously not trying to hide the fact that they were eyeing her up and down. The pricks were just searching oh so desperately for something to judge her for. Kurt, on the other hand, gave her a forced-polite wave, so she returned one to him. As her eyes met with her father's brown ones, she felt the knotting in her stomach begin to return.

"Look who decided to join us for lunch," Vince began sarcastically. "What a pleasant surprise, Stephanie. Take a seat," he added, pointing to an available chair next to Kurt, who was even patting it. After he moved his grubby hand, she reluctantly sat and smoothed her blue dress, eliminating the wrinkles. Several servants shortly appeared to retrieve their drink orders.

"So Kurt," Vince began, trying to start a conversation at the silent table, "how is the royal life treating you?"

"Oh, very well indeed, sir. Everyone here at the castle is so wonderful. It was very considerate of you to let my family and I move in," Kurt said in his phony tone, flashing his pearly whites in a devilish smile.

Stephanie spluttered on her water.

"Move in?"

"Of course. Why wouldn't we allow your future husband and future in-laws live with us in the castle? It's only a matter of time before we're all family—officially, that is. I'm almost positive it will strengthen the loving bond you and Kurt already share," Vince said. Everyone smiled at him and each other, just so pleased with life in general. Except Stephanie. No one had even mentioned this "moving in" thing to her. Ever. You'd think it would have been something to bring to her attention, what with her being his fiancé and all.

Kurt reached out for her hand and she had no choice but to accept it. Her parents were watching them like hawks, well and ready to strike at the first wrong move she made. How could they honestly believe she and Kurt were in love? Last time she checked her acting skills weren't exactly top notch and neither were her fraud fiancé's.

But that didn't keep Stephanie from wondering about love—what was it anyway? It definitely wasn't what her parents had depicted it out to be. When Stephanie pictured love, there weren't cameras or expensive jewelry or public outings. Despite her little knowledge on the emotion, she pictured love being about the simple, spontaneous things. But that belief seemed to be uncommon nowadays. However, Shane and Marissa seemed to fit the description perfectly. They were truly in love. The way they looked into each other's starry eyes made their love visible even to the blind.

Actually, there was one more person that came to mind when she thought of love. _Him._

"Stephanie? Are you listening?" Vince asked in his intimidating tone. She snapped out of her thoughts instantly and directed her attention to the people sitting around her. "Mrs. Angle was talking to you," he added, gesturing to Kurt's mother.

Mrs. Angle was of the average height, but about as wide as she was tall. Her round face was always embellished with several layers of cakey makeup, including a bright red blush on her plump cheeks. Her shoulder-length hair was currently in some strange up-do which Stephanie didn't recognize. The woman did change her hairstyle on a weekly basis, so it wasn't at all surprising.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I was just…thinking. Please continue, Mrs. Angle," Stephanie encouraged politely.

"It's fine dear. I know you're stressed about the wedding. Speaking of which, I was just saying how your parents and I have set a date. Isn't that great news, darling?" Mrs. Angle asked. Her eyes were bright and wide as she spoke, almost like she was anticipating Stephanie's reaction. Everyone was way beyond excited for this wedding. Like everything else, it was just another opportunity to get desperate, unnecessary publicity. Everyone wanted to have their spot in the limelight. At this point, they might as well invite the whole damn country to the wedding.

"And there's more great news, Stephanie," Mr. Angle intervened.

"What is it?" she asked impatiently through gritted teeth. They might as well just hit her with all they've got now.

"We've decided to scrap the invitations altogether. We're allowing anyone in the whole country to come and watch you and Kurt celebrate your love for each other!" he exclaimed.

The glass of water slipped through Stephanie's fingers and hit the floor this time. It shattered, sending glass splinters everywhere. How did she just know this would happen? Oh that's right. Her parents were completely predictable! Everyone in this damn country was so predictable. Stephanie hardly noticed the servant that came by to sweep up the shards of glass.

"That's…wonderful," she choked out. Kurt grabbed her hand again. "So… when is the wedding?"

"April 15th," Linda informed her.

"That's two months away…"

"Yes! We just thought the sooner you two can tie the knot, the better!" her mother exclaimed cheerfully.

"May I be excused for a moment?"Stephanie asked. She glanced to her mother, the more reasonable parent. Linda nodded approvingly before Stephanie rose to her feet.

"Don't be long, Stephanie," Vince added before she disappeared down the hall.

She ran to her room, not even bothering to gasp for air along the way. Oxygen could wait. She sprinted up every single step to get there as quickly as possible. Anything to get away from them. All of them. Once she was finally locked inside the safest place in her world, she broke down crying, letting

She was done with all this. She wanted it to end. She wanted out. Stephanie had always heard about suicidal people, but she never thought it would be her. Then again, she never thought she'd be forced into marrying someone she despised, but yet she was. Plus, it's not like her family would miss her or anything. Maybe they'd be a little disappointed that they couldn't throw her some big, expensive wedding. But they'd get over it. Easily.

In fact, they'd probably adopt Kurt after a week of mourning her death.

Stephanie decided to keep her door locked for the remainder of the day. She lay in her bed for hours, with her music blasted in her ears. It was practically deafening, but it muffled the unwanted noises from the outside world. So it did its job. Eventually, she slipped away into a deep sleep and dreamed that she never woke up.

It was a good dream.

"STEPHANIE!"

"Hmmm?" Stephanie moaned, as she rolled over in bed. Her eyes fluttered open. It was Izzy.

"Man, you're a deep sleeper," Izzy commented, pushing back tangled bunches of hair from Stephanie's face.

"How long was I out for?"

"Well, it's 5 o'clock now. So probably a good 5 hours or so?" Izzy guessed.

"And no one tried to wake me?"

"Well, your parents wanted to. But I told them you weren't feeling well."

"My dad doesn't believe in 'getting sick.' So what did they say after you told them?"

"Well, your brother's here… So he did the convincing," she explained with a smile.

"Shane's here?" Stephanie asked, instantly leaping out of her bed, letting the covers fall from her body.

"Yes. There's something going on. They asked Shane to come for it."

"I have to go see him!" Stephanie squealed as she literally flew out of her room. Izzy chuckled at her enthusiasm. She never saw someone who loved her brother so much.

When Stephanie arrived to the main hall in the castle, she stopped to listen in on her brother talking to her parents. Was it about her? The wedding? Stephanie only prayed that Shane could talk them out of this nonsense. He was always "Boy Wonder" when it came to persuading their parents. Despite disappointing their father about not wanting to be next in line for the throne, he was still their favorite child. If Stephanie ever pulled something like that, she would be disowned in a heartbeat without remorse.

"Well, I'm not telling you guys what to do. I'm just saying you shouldn't be so hard on people. It's not their fault that they weren't born into wealth and royalty like you."

"Shane, I understand what you're saying. But you know the rules. Three strikes and you're out," Vince reminded his son.

"I know. But—"

"Shane, if you wanted to make rules around here, you shouldn't have been so ungrateful when I offered you position as future king of the country. Besides, this man has been charged with stealing twice already. It's his third time, and execution is the only option," Vince stated harshly.

"Fine, Dad. Do what you want. It's not like you care about taking innocent lives anyway," Shane muttered.

"Correction. Not innocent. Guilty."

"He was trying to provide for his family. They would starve if he didn't do this…"

"So you condone robbery? Is that what you're saying now?"

"You know what Dad? I'm done with you… Goodbye," Shane said, backing away from his parents in disappointment. "You're no better Mom. You stand by and let this happen."

"Shane, don't come back here anymore," Linda pleaded with cold eyes. He started to head for the door. Their parents had already disappeared from the room, probably to go discuss where they had gone wrong in raising their son.

"WAIT! Shane! Shane!" Stephanie screamed, running to her brother. He opened his arms to embrace her.

"Hi Stephy," he whispered.

"Shane! I missed you so much! Please don't leave! I need you!" she begged, on the verge of tears. She seemed so vulnerable and desperate. Sometimes Shane thought he needed her more than she needed him. But then times like these convinced him otherwise.

"Shhh…it's okay, Steph," Shane said soothingly. He still held onto her tightly.

"No it's not! I'm getting married! To Kurt! And the whole damn country's coming!" Stephanie complained.

"I heard… Mom told me," he said quietly.

"And?"

"I would try to talk to them about it. But they kind of hate me right now." The look of annoyance on her face flashed to concern and curiosity.

"What was all that about anyways?"

"You've always been an eavesdropper, sis," he said, trying to lighten the mood. She forced a smile.

"Tell me," she begged in all seriousness.

"Okay, well basically there's a 'thief' as our parents call him, who has been sentenced to death. He's been trying to steal food for his family. They're peasants…" Shane explained.

"Well, that's not fair. He probably has a wife and children to feed," Stephanie guessed.

"Actually, no. I've met the guy a few times. He's single. His family owns a small farm. Marissa and I go there sometimes. They don't do very good business though. It's a shame. They're nice people."

This story made Stephanie's stomach churn with nausea. She'd heard about many cruel, unnecessary executions before. But this one made her feel different for some reason.

"When will he be executed?"

"Tomorrow morning. 10 o'clock, I think," Shane guessed. "That's usually the normal time. Look Stephanie, I've gotta get out of here. Please be safe. Call me if you need something, okay? I love you." Shane kissed her cheek and hugged her once more.

Stephanie felt alone again as she watched her brother leave. There was a good chance he wouldn't be coming back.

Pushing him aside from her thoughts, she thought of the man getting executed. Why did she care so much? Maybe stopping the whole thing would be a good way to rebel against her parents, to show them they don't own her. Or maybe there was something else drawing her to do this. Whatever it was, she headed down to the room where the convicts were kept during their final hours.

As expected, the room was dark and reeked of various, unknown odors. The air was thick and moist. Each man or woman was kept in a separate cell. There were at least forty of them in here all compressed next to each other. They looked exactly the same. How would she know which one it was? She didn't even know what this guy looked like, for crying out loud.

"Excuse me?" she called out to one of the guards. The tall, dark-haired man approached her and offered a polite smile.

"Yes, Princess Stephanie?"

"Who was the last person to be sentenced to death?"

"Why, right over there." He gestured to a cell all the way on the end. Stephanie thanked him, and headed in the direction. She froze when she met eyes with him. It was _him_. This was the first time she'd seen him since the incident. He looked so different, yet exactly the same. Even in the dim lighting, she would recognize those rare hazel-colored eyes anywhere. Every muscle in her body felt paralyzed just looking at him.

"Stephanie, it's time for you to go now," Vince whispered from behind her. She was startled by his voice. He must have followed her down there. "Come on."

He grabbed her arm, literally dragging her away. But she never broke her gaze with the man. She wanted to talk to him, to thank him for saving her. She still didn't know his name. She'd never bothered to ask. They always seemed to meet in the midst of chaos or some state of shock. And now she would never know any of these things about her hero. It would be his last night on Earth. And her last night worth living.


	4. Battle Within

Stephanie sat in her room, gazing out the window. As the moon entered her field of vision she couldn't stop herself from seeing his eyes—those shining hazel orbs. They were the eyes that looked to her for help, the eyes that burned with a shred of hope. She was his only hope. His last chance.

There he was sitting in some confined cell, counting down the final hours of his life. Praying for a miracle was really the only thing he could do. Nothing he could do in his power was capable of putting a stop to this. And meanwhile, where was Stephanie? Sitting in her room, feeling helpless and sorry. But what reason did she have to throw a pity party for? She wasn't the one about to come face to face with death. She wasn't the one who would have their life cut short for an invalid reason. But she was the one who had the power and ability to pull strings to put an end to all this.

Another wave of guilt washed over her, making her stomach churn with nausea and the back of her throat unbearably dry. At that moment, she experienced some sort of strange epiphany. This was all meant to happen, and she was the one meant to stop it. She was in debt, as of now. She owed him a life.

Stephanie scanned mostly unoccupied areas of her spacious bedroom. There was nothing she could use to save him. No magic wand or teleportation device. Certainly, she was no superhero or time traveler. In fact, she was probably the furthest thing from heroic. Her minimal skills only seemed to worsen situations and pile up more trouble on her plate.

As it seemed, Stephanie had spent a large percentage of her life living inside a shell. Real world problems and concerns didn't exist. Poverty, sickness, and crime were merely words and nothing more. This was a form of protection created by her parents, especially her father. Without her shell, she was simply another vulnerable human being. No amount of tiaras or ball gowns would change that reality.

Thinking back on it now, Stephanie wished he never saved her. He should have let her die. The carriage should have crushed her skull and weakened her limbs, freeing her from this miserable life. If she never had to stare into those hazel eyes, maybe she wouldn't be so conflicted.

And then there were her parents, the perpetrators in this whole scheme. How could they be so selfish and naïve? They were under the impression they're doing their daughter good by forcing her into this marriage and executing every single move in her life.

But the whole epiphany-like feeling started to return as she gained a deeper connection with her own thoughts. Maybe she wasn't at war with her parents. They were just excuses. Maybe the real battle she was fighting was against herself. She was the problem. She was the one scared shitless to disobey them, the one who kept quiet when they made her decisions, the one so paranoid about not meeting their expectations.

Now she had no other choice but to save the mystery man. She had to do this for not only him, but for her. Fate always seemed to bring them together, as if it were trying to send her a message. Surely, saving him would be the defining moment of her life. The reason she was meant to live.

3 AM.

As of now, she'd gotten no sleep whatsoever; nothing more than a prolonged blink. She counted down the hours in her head to occupy the time. 7 hours. That's all he had left. 420 minutes. 25,200 seconds. Time was slipping away with each breath she took. A proper plan needed to be executed if she wanted the tide to turn in her favor.

Feeling slightly drained, Stephanie stifled a yawn and rested her head against the beige window sill. She would only close her eyes for a few minutes, just to replenish some lost energy. Surely her brain cells couldn't function on zero hours of sleep.

Hours passed. Minutes wasted. Seconds gone.

Her eyelids fluttered open slowly. The first thing brought to her attention was the shimmering sun beaming through her window. It cast a bright reflection on the inside of her room. Daylight? How long had she dozed off for?

"9:18? I only have 42 minutes, and… ugh!" she screamed. Even though there wasn't anyone around to hear her, Stephanie continued to mumble incoherently. She'd been subconsciously doing this over the past few weeks, and it proved to be an annoying habit to break. Maybe she really was a crazy person— the kind that ended up in some mental hospital. She was definitely acting like it as of lately.

Stephanie pulled on a coat over her night gown, along with a pair of grubby, old sneakers. She forgot she'd even owned sneakers, but had managed to dig up a pair in the pile of discarded items in her closet. Of course her parents would never purchase her a pair, for she only dressed in the finest of things. But desperate times like these called for comfortable footwear.

Sprinting to the execution yard would be the difficult part, not only because of its distance, but due to the number of spectators on the premises. If her mother or father spotted her, they would ask what she was up to and send her back to her room immediately. Then there were the nosy guards everywhere. They thrived on excuses to report mischief back to their almighty emperor.

Well, it was now or never. She crept down the spiral staircase, cautious not to wake anyone. The last thing she needed was to stir havoc at this hour. Upon reaching the main floor of the castle, she began to walk at a speedier pace, exiting through one of the side doors, that weren't heavily guarded. Once she felt the fresh outdoor air connect with her skin, Stephanie started running. It was surprisingly relaxing. She felt free for once, like a bird straying away from its flock.

But all celebratory thoughts of freedom were pushed aside as the other problem resurfaced. How would she actually get to the execution yard? It was a good five miles from the castle and her transportations options were limited. She'd never make it in time on foot.

"Need a ride somewhere?" The familiar voice startled Stephanie, but she spun her head around curiously.

"Izzy?" Stephanie asked, tilting her head to the side in amusement. Her new stylist was sitting atop a white horse with a short-trimmed mane. It was one of those moments where Stephanie needed to do a double take to reassure that her vision wasn't failing her.

"That's my name, don't wear it out, kid," she stated with a smirk. "Let me guess. Execution yard?"

"How did you—"

"I checked on you in the middle of the night. You talk in your sleep," Izzy chuckled. Stephanie's cheeks sported a bright red shade as she parted her lips to speak.

"Don't you want to know why I'm headed there?"

"Well, you're gonna tell me on the ride there. Now hop on! She won't bite. I promise."

Stephanie reluctantly grabbed her hand as Izzy aided her on to the rear part of the saddle. She had never even been this close to a horse before, nor ridden one. Then again she'd never tried to intervene with the criminal justice system either. This was definitely a day of firsts for her.

Izzy steered the horse to the yard by gently yanking on the reigns, while Stephanie told her the whole story about her nameless hero. She spoke of everything—from that October 25th in the street to last night in the cell where their paths crossed yet again.

"That's the sweetest love story I've ever heard. And trust me, I've heard some pretty sweet ones," Izzy gushed, spinning her head slightly to flip a wink.

"It's not a love story," Stephanie interjected stubbornly.

"Of course it's not, honey."

"I swear it's not," she assured her. "I've never even said one word to the man! I've only seen him like twice. Now tell me how that's love?"

"You don't need to say any words to him. Haven't you ever heard of love at first sight?"

"I may be clueless when it comes to these things, but even _I_ know what that is. And…and that's not even what happened anyways!"

"Denial…" Izzy sang innocently, urging a dry eye roll out of Stephanie.

They soon arrived at the yard, much to Stephanie's relief. She was done listening to irrational accusations and assumptions. However, despite their sister-like bickering, they still issued their thoughtful goodbyes.

"Be careful, Steph," Izzy said softly, as she swung her jean clad leg over the other side of the horse.

"I will." And with that promise, Stephanie proceeded forward, completely unaware what to expect.

The execution yard looked like a barren wasteland, with random patches of dirt scattered among the dying grass. Tree stumps and tumbleweeds certainly didn't embellish its already unattractive appearance. Plus, there were a bunch of immoral methods of execution set up around the area: electric chairs, hanging posts, electric fences, and even shooting posts. The whole place gave Stephanie the creeps, sending chills down her spine.

"Stephanie?" Oh no. The voice belonged to her father. "What are you doing here?"

"Dad? You come to the executions?"

"Why wouldn't I? It's a huge advantage of being king. You get to watch criminals put to death. It's quite entertaining," he said with a chuckle. Stephanie tried to ignore his malicious comments and hide the unpleasant look on her face.

"Dad, I have a favor to ask of you."

"A favor?" he snorted. "Now why would I do that for you? When is the last time you have pleased me with your behavior?"

"I know, Father. My behavior has been disappointing as of late. But I promise to change. I promise to have a more optimistic outlook on life. I'll happily marry Kurt, and someday we'll rule the country to make you proud. I'll give honor to my last name," Stephanie insisted. She'd never told her dad so many lies all at once. Usually they came one dosage at a time. But Vince looked like he would burst into tears at any given moment.

"Honey, that's absolutely beautiful. Do you really mean all that?"

"Of course. Now about my favor to ask…" she began grudgingly.

"Right. That favor of yours. Go on."

"I want you to spare a life for me."

"Whose life?" He raised an eyebrow suspiciously and could sense the uneasiness in his daughter's voice.

"Well, I don't know his name…." she mumbled.

"That could be a problem. And besides, why the hell would I spare the life of a criminal?"

"I have my reasons," Stephanie began. She was currently shifting through the thousand different possible excuses in her head. She preferred to keep a bunch handy at all times, but settled for the most believable one. "I know someone who could be of great service to you—to our family. It would be a waste of a good worker for him to die."

"Stephanie, where are you going with this?"

"Just, trust me, Dad. He's the man Shane didn't want you to execute either. He would be a good worker, I promise." Her father stared down at her with cold eyes. So far, things weren't looking up for Stephanie and her unidentified savior. "Look it's just been really stressful for me since the engagement. With Kurt and I being ever so busy, there are still so many things left to accomplish. We need to have a team of people in order to function like a well oiled machine."

Vince seemed a little taken aback, yet proud, of Stephanie's intellectual way of wording things—almost like he would actually give in.

"I'll consider it."


	5. Identity

Stephanie had left the execution yard per her father's strict orders. Now she was sitting in her room, staring out the same exact window the way she had the previous night. She'd done all she was able to and now came the dreadful part: waiting. Her eyes traveled back to the clock, as they had become accustomed to in the forty-five minutes. It was almost a quarter past eleven and her father should have returned by now.

"Stephanie! Dear, come down here for a moment!" her mother hollered. Anxiously, Stephanie stood up and emerged from her room. Maybe her father was back by now. She needed to know whether or not he'd actually taken her request into consideration and possibly followed through. Her nerves were eating her alive.

But a look of disappointment washed over her face as she saw Linda waiting at the bottom of the stairs with Mrs. Angle right beside her.

"Hello," Stephanie greeted the two women softly. Kurt's mother pulled her in for an unexpected embrace and held her for entirely too long. And that was when she sensed the clicking noise and flashing lights. Of course. There were men with large cameras lined up behind her.

"What is all this?" Stephanie asked her mother. She tried to shield the flickering lights from her face with her palms.

"Big smiles, everyone," Linda instructed, ignoring her daughter's question. Stephanie put on her best fake smile she could. After all, most of her smiles were fake anyways. They didn't mean a thing if you had no reason to be happy in the first place. The three of them stood there for over a half an hour taking pictures and answering the occasional question from a news reporter. Their abruptness was evident as they shoved various microphones into Stephanie's face. Most of them were interrogating her about the wedding. Since she didn't know much about her own wedding, she just turned them over to her mother and future mother-in-law.

In Stephanie's head, a thunderous lightning bolt struck as Kurt entered the room. He was fairly tall with a somewhat athletic build. His hair color teetered between black and dark brown depending on the lighting, and his eyes were a bluish-grey color.

And she had completely forgotten that he lived here until now. That sure lifted her spirits.

He walked over with an arrogant grin and planted a kiss on her cheek. She then pretended to be embarrassed by his affectionate behavior. For someone who hadn't witnessed a real world romance, Stephanie was pretty spot-on with her reactions.

When the reporters finally left, Linda decided it would be a "swell idea" for them to feast with the Angle family and catch up on each other's lives. Why did they need to eat every meal together?

They all walked down to the dining hall in unison. Stephanie was surprised to see her father already waiting for them there. As they all took their seats, she contemplated on when would be the appropriate time to broach the subject lingering in her head. She wanted so much to ask him about the executions, but eventually decided against it. Her parents would scold her and say it was a badly chosen time to discuss that topic.

"It's so nice to see everybody again," Mr. Angle announced. Stephanie wondered what the hell he was talking about. They all lived in the same building and she couldn't even use the restroom without stumbling into one of them.

"That it is, my good man," Vince agreed. "Kurt, are you excited for the wedding?"

"You bet I am. There will be so many people there. It will be quite the extravaganza, that's for sure!" Kurt said with a chuckle. Stephanie rolled her eyes. She'd never actually been to a wedding, but she knew it was about more than the things her fiancé was looking forward to. "Stephanie, I'm sure your wedding gown is beautiful," Kurt added, looking towards Stephanie.

"Well, actually I haven't picked one out yet," she corrected him bluntly.

"Oh, don't worry about that. Your father and I have already selected the perfect dress for you. It was the most expensive one we could find," Linda bragged. Kurt's parents just sat there with these stupid grins of approval on their face. Stephanie wondered if all people were this clueless and dim-witted.

"Of course. After all, expensive does mean better," Vince added.

"I agree 100%, Vince. God, could you imagine Stephanie marrying someone who was…I don't know…poor?" Kurt proposed with a hearty laugh. In fact the whole table burst out in laughter. Stephanie couldn't believe it. It's like her eyes were finally opened. Well, she would prefer to be a part of a poor family who actually loved her as opposed to…whatever this was. Certainly, family wasn't the accurate word to describe it.

"Kurt, you're really hilarious. I picked a good one, huh Steph?" Vince asked, still clutching his stomach from the laughter.

It took every ounce of resistance she could muster to not tell off everyone sitting at the table.

"Yes," Stephanie managed to choke out. She avoided eye contact with anyone else for the rest of the meal, far too disgusted by them all. She just wanted to be alone in her room, where nobody could make decisions for her and she wouldn't have to pretend anymore.

Oblivious to Stephanie's mood change, everyone just went on talking about the wedding. They gushed over the catering, the flowers, the gowns, the guests…everything! It was all nonsense anyways. She wondered how much worse her life would get _after _she married Kurt, because this was only a preview of what things would be like. She only hoped he would just leave her be for the most part. But what if their parents pressured them into having children? That was a thought Stephanie pushed to the very back of her head. She never wanted kids. It's not that she didn't like kids. In fact, she loved them. But she would never want a child of hers to turn out like her parents or Kurt—selfish, rude, inconsiderate, and spoiled. So avoiding pregnancy altogether would prevent one less spoiled brat from being brought into this world.

"Well, this has been lovely," Linda said at the conclusion of supper.

"Indeed. We must do this again sometime," Kurt's mother agreed.

Everyone said their goodbyes and farewells. Quite frankly, Stephanie didn't even know the meaning of the word "goodbye" anymore. That's the word you use when you won't see someone again for a while. But the Angles' were like a bad case of the hiccups. You can never get rid of them. They seem to pop up around every corner she turned.

However, she was so relieved when it was over and ran right up the stairs. Normally she would just go to her room and lock the door behind her, not noticing a thing on the way there. But something caught her eye in a hallway on the other side of the floor level. It was a man. He was wearing a suit and leaning casually against the wall, using his forearm as leverage to stand. His dark blonde hair was neatly tied back in a ponytail. Stephanie watched him curiously. He turned his head. It was _him_!

She had completely spaced out on asking her father about the executions. He must have changed his mind, because it appeared as if the man worked in the castle now. She continued to watch him stand there, fumbling with the cuffs on his sleeves. Still muttering under his breath, he lifted his head in her direction.

Stephanie instantly met eyes with him, like she always seemed to do. He smiled thoughtfully. She just stared, while her heart raced at a thousand beats per minute. Slowly, the man walked towards Stephanie, until he was standing just a mere foot away from her face. God, he was even more of a sight to behold now that he was so close.

"Hi…" he whispered. She began to feel dizzy again at the sound of his voice. She'd never spoken a single word to him before. Not once.

"Hi."

"You must be Stephanie. Or do you go by Princess Stephanie?" he asked.

"No. Um…Stephanie's just fine," she stammered. "And what should I call you?"

"Paul." Although his response was simple, it meant so much to Stephanie. It meant the world to her. She finally knew the name of the man who saved her life. And to think she never would have learned it if she didn't act on her instinct and persuade her father.

Looking into his eyes now, she wasn't sure how to respond. Should she thank him for saving her life, or ask him what his job at the castle was? "In case you were wondering, I'm your new bodyguard." Her jaw dropped a bit. It was like he could read her mind. Maybe he secretly could.

"You were pardoned?" Stephanie asked.

"Yes. And thank you, by the way."

"How'd you know it was me?" she asked curiously. This whole mind-reading thing sounded more practical now. The guy literally snatched the words out of her mouth before they could reach the tip of her tongue.

"Your friend told me—your stylist, I believe." Stephanie made a mental note to thank Izzy later on.

"So as my bodyguard…well, what exactly will you be doing?"

"Whatever you need me to do," Paul said with a sincere smile. His hazel eyes twinkled whenever he talked. Stephanie wondered if that happened when he talked to everyone. And she secretly hoped it didn't.

The sound of muffled footsteps from the staircase echoed in the area.

"Would you like to talk more in my room?" Stephanie offered. He nodded and followed her as she led the way. There was something about the girl that intrigued Paul. Every time he saw her, it was as if he was under her spell. He would become lost for words and his stomach started doing cartwheels. She intoxicated him.

"Well, this is my room," Stephanie announced awkwardly, opening the door. He grabbed the knob and gestured for her to go in, as he stepped aside No one ever held doors for Stephanie—unless there was a camera around somewhere.

"I like it."

"Thanks," Stephanie whispered, almost blushing. She sat on her bed. "You can sit in that chair if you want." He accepted her offer, put it by her bedside, and sat down.

"You know, I never thought I would be here—alive. Why'd you do it, Stephanie?" he asked. The way he said her name almost cut off her oxygen.

"I owed you," was all she could say. Paul knew exactly what she was referring, and he really didn't want to push her any further. He could see the tears welling up in her glossy eyes. Clearly, this was a touchy subject to discuss.

Feeling extremely self-conscious Stephanie turned her face away from his.

"Please don't cry," Paul whispered. He placed his hand on her cheek, forcing her to look up at him.

"Why not?" Stephanie asked, dabbing at her wet eyes with her fingertips.

"Because you're so beautiful when you smile."

"Tell me about yourself," Stephanie whispered, still hanging onto what he'd said before. Nobody had ever complimented her like that. Well they had, but Paul had given it so much more meaning. He gladly agreed to her request and told her his life story. She enjoyed every word of it and listened in intently.

Paul Michael Levesque was 24 years old. He was the son of Paul, Sr. and Patricia. He had one sister named Lynn who was 4 years older than him. His family was very close. They did everything together. He spoke of them in such loving ways, which made Stephanie wonder. Why was her family so different than Paul's? They owned a small farm towards the west side of the country, and Paul didn't have a specific job, but he did whatever he was needed to. He told her that he wasn't proud of stealing, but he would resort to anything to keep his family alive. They were his everything. Stephanie tried to picture one of her parents breaking a law to keep her alive. Like that would ever happen.

"Well, it's getting late. I should probably get going," Paul said. "Goodnight, Stephanie." He flashed her a genuine smile. Inside, all he wanted to do was pull her in for a hug. He just wanted to share an embrace with the woman who invaded his dreams every night. Instead, he stood up and headed for the door.

"Wait."

He turned at the sound of her hushed whisper.

"Yes, Stephanie?"

"Will you stay here until I fall asleep?" she asked shyly.

"Of course, Steph."

Paul switched off the lights and sat back down in the chair next at her bedside. She reached for his hand. Paul was a little surprised, but not in a bad way. He held onto her hand for most of the night, even long after she'd drifted off into a heavy slumber. But even through her thick sleep, she never let go, and for the first time in her life, she slept with a smile adorning her lips.


	6. Confessions

It was unexpectedly tough for Paul to leave Stephanie during the night, but deep down, he knew he had no other option. He was her bodyguard—nothing more than that. This fire needed to be extinguished before it was too dangerous to contain. They had to keep their relationship strictly professional. Business was just business. Besides, Paul had already been sentenced to death once, and he wasn't shooting for a second time.

On a lighter note, watching her sleep was probably the most beautiful sight he'd ever laid eyes on in his twenty four years of life. He loved the way her dark brown hair was spread out amongst the cotton pillow, and the way her long eyelashes rested upon her rosy cheeks. Her pale complexion was absolutely radiant in the moonlight—so angelic and flawless.

Stephanie was just as perfect as she was the day he saved her life.

But Paul unsuccessfully tried to suppress those thoughts so he could focus on his actual job. But how the hell was he supposed to do that when he'd spend every waking moment in her presence? And speaking of waking, Stephanie was expected to be up any moment now. He hardly noticed the blonde woman wearing a black dress and high heels approach him. Her fierce green eyes narrowed at him as she stared him up and down.

"Hi, I'm Jessica, Stephanie's publicist," the woman announced abruptly, holding out her hand. Paul shook it firmly. Hopefully she wasn't expecting him to kneel down and kiss it or something.

"Nice to meet you. I'm—"

"I know. I'm not here to discuss details of unimportance. I have a very busy schedule," Jessica informed him, a bit annoyed. "I just wanted to inform you that Stephanie is making an appearance today on the east side of the country. She will be promoting her wedding, handing out information, and all that stuff."

"Okay… Am I going with her?"

"Of course! To protect her from any and all danger!" Jessica exclaimed as if it was obvious knowledge. "Make sure to never leave her side. And I mean, never! If anything happens, you will be held accountable," she warned.

"That won't be hard," he muttered under his breath as Jessica spun on her heel and strutted back down the hall. Her heels clicked loudly against the wooden floor, even after she was far out of sight. God, he'd never met a woman who thrived on her own importance. He'd only heard tales of what the nobles were like from people with secondhand knowledge. Seeing them in person just reminded Paul how much he despised them all. This job would definitely be an experience like no other.

Meanwhile, Izzy was putting the finishing touches on Stephanie's makeup. She noticed that Stephanie was unusually shaky, which could be extremely difficult to work with. The girl's makeup would end up more clown-like rather than the exquisite look she'd been aiming for.

"Hey, what's up?" Izzy asked, positioning herself so she was now standing in front of Stephanie.

"Nothing. Why do you ask?"

"Because I've had to redo your makeup like a billion times, because someone won't sit still," Izzy stated. Stephanie looked down at her feet to hide her blush-stained cheeks.

"I don't know. I guess the wedding's just coming up so soon, and it's making me anxious," Stephanie explained. "I mean, how am I supposed to marry Kurt? I can't even stand to have a conversation with him that lasts for more than two minutes."

"Steph, don't worry about it right now. You still have two months. That's plenty of time to come up with some excuse why you can't get married."

"Oh yeah? Like what kind of excuses?" Stephanie asked unconvinced. Still, she was appreciative of her friend's optimism.

"Say it goes against your religion," Izzy suggested. Stephanie just glared at her coldly, which filled the room with a chuckle. "Okay, fine. Don't say that. Maybe you could fake your death."

"Ha-ha, very funny. But I've read _Romeo and Juliet_ way too many times to agree to that one," she retorted.

"Good point."

"But seriously, what do I do?"

"Steph, ya know what your problem is?" Izzy asked. Stephanie shook her head and raised her eyebrows. "You over-think things. Stop trying to plan everything out. Just go with the flow. Listen to your heart, not your head," she advised her. "Anyways, we both have a busy day. I'll see you when you get back okay?"

"Okay. Thanks for the advice, Izzy. Oh, and thank you for telling Paul," Stephanie said.

Izzy just winked, flipped her hair of her shoulder, and walked out the door. Once she was gone, Stephanie grabbed a small bag from her closet and headed downstairs.

"Good morning," a husky voice greeted her.

"Paul!" she said, almost a little too excited. "You're coming with me?"

"Why, of course. I am your bodyguard after all. I wouldn't want you to get eaten by the Loch Ness monster or something," Paul joked. "Plus your publicist threatened to make my life hell if something happened to you." Stephanie burst out into a fit of nervous laughter, until she heard her father's booming voice.

"Stephanie," he began, "here are the papers you need to hand out to citizens. They contain all the information about the wedding. Don't be afraid to answer some questions and be social. Win the people over," Vince ordered.

"Yes, Father."

"And you," Vince said looking at Paul. "Don't let _anything_ happen to my daughter or you will find yourself back in line to be executed."

"Yes, sir," Paul replied. Now he had two people that would be on his case for quite a while. Somehow he found the king's warning a lot less intense than the blonde bitch's from earlier on. Just thinking about her sent shivers down his spine.

After nodding towards both of them, Vince left the room.

"Shall we go?" Stephanie asked. She'd never been more excited to do a public appearance before. Normally, she dreaded them and showed as little enthusiasm as possible. Maybe this time it had something to do with the person who would be accompanying her on the trip.

"After you," Paul offered, opening the door for her. They strolled towards a horse-drawn carriage side by side.

"You do know how to steer these things, right?" Stephanie asked.

"Yes. Well, I've never been in charge of one this fancy, but I do know how to work with horses pretty well," he commented. They both climbed into the carriage. Paul took hold of the reigns and it wasn't long before they were on their way.

"So this publicity stuff…do you do this a lot?" Paul wondered. Stephanie rolled her eyes and sighed.

"My parents take advantage of every opportunity. It's all about putting on a good show for the public," Stephanie explained.

"I'm guessing you don't enjoy it?"

"Usually not. But today hasn't been so bad," Stephanie admitted with a shrug of one shoulder.

"Why's that?"

"Because I'm with you."

"You're not too bad yourself, McMahon," Paul replied with a crooked smile. "However, you do talk in your sleep." He was stifling back a laugh while Stephanie, on the other hand, wore this horrified look on her face. Not to mention, she was blushing like there was no tomorrow.

"Oh, God. What did I say?" Stephanie wondered if she really wanted to know the answer to that, given certain dreams she'd been having as of late.

"You mostly were calling for your brother. You asked him to come home. Then you kept saying 'Yes, Father.' Oh, and I might have heard my name a few times," he added with a wink.

"What's your definition of a few?"

"Like…I don't know…every ten seconds or so?" Paul chuckled.

"Shut up!" Stephanie yelled, elbowing him in the ribs.

"Ow! Have you ever considered taking an anger management class? It could really benefit you." Stephanie playfully poked her tongue out at him. She'd never had this type of conversation with someone before. It was so lighthearted. They were trying to get under each other's skin, but really meant no harm. Stephanie could only compare it to the way Shane and Marissa acted sometimes.

"Paul, are we flirting?"

"What?" he asked, almost losing hold of the reigns. He was stunned by her bluntness.

"Are we flirting? Because it sure seems like it," Stephanie observed. Paul was confused by her question. Not the question itself, but the fact that she asked it.

"Would you be mad if I said yes?"

"No. I like it," she admitted shyly.

"Me too."

"I also liked when you held my hand."

"So now we're making confessions?" Paul asked curiously.

"Yes. I said mine. Now it's your turn," she demanded.

"I don't think so."

"What happened to 'your wish is my command'?" Stephanie asked.

"Now you're putting words in my mouth," Paul countered. "But I'll tell you anyways, just 'cause you're adorable." Stephanie batted her eyelashes innocently. "My confession is more of an idea I thought of on the way here. What would you say to just blowing off this publicity crap and spending the day doing something more enjoyable?"

"I would say that's the smartest idea I've heard in a long time," Stephanie replied. "So, are we just going to change directions and head somewhere else now?"

"I have another confession."

"Let's hear it."

"We were never headed toward the east side of the island," Paul revealed, his brown orbs twinkling mischievously.

Normally Stephanie didn't like people making decisions for her, but she trusted that Paul could sense what she really wanted. It was like he knew her better than she knew herself. It was a bit annoying and frustrating though. Here she'd spent 17 years trying to figure out who the hell she was, and someone she'd known for less than a day could read her like an open book.

"So where are we headed?" Stephanie asked curiously.

"You ask a lot of questions, McMahon."

"Well, maybe if you would give me better answers, then I wouldn't ask so many questions, Levesque." He was impressed by her addressing him by his last name—one of his own notorious habits.

"Okay, here's my answer: It's a surprise where we're going."

Stephanie frowned. She hated surprises, and she was far too impatient to wait for any prolonged period of time.

"Tell me now," she demanded.

"How about we compromise? I'll hold your hand the whole way there, as long as you'll be patient with me." She reached for his hand, somewhat satisfied, and they interlocked their fingers together. Paul noticed that she scooted closer to him as her body heat radiated against him.

Losing herself in yet another perfect dream, Stephanie leaned her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes, just cherishing the moment. Surprisingly, it didn't matter how fast they got there anymore, as long as she was with Paul. That's all that mattered now.


	7. You've Got Me

"Steph, we're here," Paul whispered, lightly shaking her shoulder. She blinked a few times before her eyes were fully opened.

"Really?" Stephanie asked with a yawn.

"Yes, really," Paul laughed. "Now get up, sleepy head." Stephanie smiled.

She looked around to see where Paul had taken her. They weren't on a road anymore. It was all grass and trees—a lot of trees. It reminded her of the woods, not that she'd ever been there. She'd only heard about places like these in the stories she read or from citizens she visited.

"So, uh, what do you think?" Paul asked.

"Everything's so…green," Stephanie observed.

"Good to see you know your colors, McMahon," Paul smirked. Stephanie just rolled her eyes.

"Well, sorry for making an observation. I've never seen so many trees in my life."

"You need to get out more," Paul replied. "Well, we better be on our way if we want to make it there before dark."

"Make it where?" Stephanie asked, puzzled.

"The surprise place I'm taking you."

"You mean this isn't it?" Stephanie asked, even more confused than before. Her naïve questions always made Paul laugh.

"Of course not." Paul tied the horse to a wooden post in the ground. Stephanie wondered if he had put it there. Maybe he came here often. "You ready?" Stephanie nodded. "I hope you're not scared of snakes," he muttered, as he headed off into the woods. He dropped the jacket that he'd been wearing over his dress clothes. Stephanie hurried to catch up to him.

"Snakes? You're messing with me," she concluded. When he didn't respond, she sighed. "You're not serious, are you?"

"See for yourself," Paul said quietly. They both stopped, and he turned to face her. Stephanie had no idea what she was supposed to be looking at, until he unbuttoned his white shirt. There were scars in the shape of teeth on the side of his stomach. She gasped, and lightly traced the scars with her thin fingers.

"Does that hurt?" Stephanie whispered.

"Not anymore. It did at first, but I hardly even notice them now," Paul explained.

"Paul?"

"Yes?"

"If there's a snake, you'll protect me, right?" He laughed to himself.

"No, I'll feed you to the first one I see," Paul retorted sarcastically. "Anyways, we better keep walking if I want to get you home on time." They kept a steady pace the whole way up. Stephanie was glad she wore flats rather than heels. However, her long lavender gown could be annoying at times. It wasn't her fault that Paul didn't inform her of his change in plans.

"Are we almost there?" Stephanie asked.

"Patience is not your best quality," Paul noted.

"I think we've both established that I'm impatient."

"I'm amazed that someone as impatient as you puts up with hours of publicity crap," Paul chuckled. Stephanie never thought of that. How did she manage to make it through those long days of taking photos with people? In fact, how did she last through a whole meal with the Angle family?

"Maybe I'm only impatient when I'm looking forward to something," Stephanie commented.

Paul could not be happier to hear that. For once, Stephanie was looking forward to something. He wondered when it was the last time that somebody had surprised her with something. Even if what he was doing wasn't much, it was better than nothing at all.

"So what do you think of that Angle guy?" Paul asked. Stephanie was thrown a bit of guard by his question. Nobody had ever taken so much interest in her opinions about things. Her father never even ran it by her when he decided she was to marry Kurt.

"Kurt is the most selfish, conceited, arrogant, cocky asshole I've ever met," Stephanie ranted. She breathed a sigh of relief. "Man, that felt good."

"Okay, so here's my next question. Why are you marrying him?"

"I have to," she mumbled.

"Says who?"

"My father."

"Steph, you don't _have_ to do anything." She considered what Paul said.

"If I don't marry Kurt, my father would be very disappointed in me. He'd probably disown me."

"You say that like it's a bad thing," Paul muttered.

"Paul, you don't understand. It's not that easy. By law, I'm still a child. I would have nowhere to go. They're my only family—they're all I've got," Stephanie explained.

"You've got me."

Stephanie froze in her tracks. Her heart was racing like never before. She didn't expect him to respond like that. She was overwhelmed with so many emotions at once. When Paul turned to look back at her, he saw tears building up in her blue eyes. He sighed and walked towards her.

"Shhh, it's okay," Paul whispered soothingly. He pushed a strand of brown hair out of her eyes and wiped her tears with his thumb. Stephanie sniffled a few times before he spoke again. "I worry about you, Stephanie," he admitted.

"Because I cry whenever I'm around you?"

"Well, somewhat. But, I just worry about you in general. I probably checked on you at least twenty times during the night to make sure you're still breathing. I've never cared about someone so much in my life," Paul stated. She just stared at him with a blank expression.

"Why are you telling me all of this?"

"I thought you might like to know. You're obviously going through a rough time with all the family stuff and wedding. So if you ever need someone, I want you to know that I'm here."

"Thank you."

Inside, all Stephanie wanted was for him to hold her in his arms. Instead, they kept walking. There was an awkward silence for the rest of the way. They were both lost inside their own minds.

Stephanie was still hung up on what Paul said. What did he really mean by that? Was he telling her not to marry Kurt and to live with him? Maybe his family would adopt her. That would be weird, especially because of the feelings she started developing for him as of late. But maybe he meant something more. He could have been suggesting something that Stephanie immediately pushed out of her mind. It would never work. She would marry Kurt, have a family of her own, and grow old with him. Paul could never be in the picture, no matter how much she desired him to be there.

Meanwhile, Paul secretly wondered why Stephanie got so emotional when he talked to her. He had to stop dropping so many hints. The poor girl was going through enough already. The last thing Stephanie needed was more drama in her life. Paul tried to figure out why people were so blind and ignorant when it came to her. She always seemed shocked whenever he asked for her opinion or even complimented her. It was sad. Paul grew up with nothing other than a loving family. They didn't have money to buy happiness, so they found it within each other. He only hoped he could show Stephanie what she was missing out on in life.

"We're here," Paul announced. Stephanie's face lit up with joy. She took in the sight in front of her. It was a lake. The water was so perfect—crystal clear. She looked down to see her reflection. Everything was so beautiful, and she could see everything from the top of the mountain. She could hardly believe how high up they were.

"Wow…" Stephanie whispered in amazement.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Paul asked.

"It's the most beautiful thing ever."

"Correction. It's the _second_ most beautiful thing ever," Paul said with a smile. Stephanie looked down and blushed.

"Stop kissing up," she smirked. Paul looked around innocently.

"Well, are we gonna go for a swim or what?" Paul questioned, while slipping his white shirt off. Stephanie's face now lit up with horror. Paul hadn't even noticed, as he unbuckled his belt.

"Wait. No. I can't swim, Paul," Stephanie said, freaking out about the whole situation.

"Then I'll teach you. You'll be great," he assured her.

"Wait. There's another problem."

"What now?"

"I don't even own a bathing suit," Stephanie said.

"Neither do I, McMahon," Paul said with a wink. He let his pants fall to the ground as he stepped out of them, kicking his shoes off as well. She tried not to stare at him, but it was difficult considering he wore nothing but boxers. His body was so perfect. His muscles rippled with each movement he made, and his abs were chiseled out of stone. He turned around, and dove into the water. Could he really get any more perfect?

"Is it cold?" Stephanie asked, trying to decide whether she would join him in the water or not.

"Not at all. Plus, it's shallow right here. Perfect depth for swimming lessons if you're up for it," Paul added. Stephanie thought about it for a moment.

"Fine," she agreed.

"Really?" Paul was shocked. Maybe she was braver than he thought.

"Yes. And no peeking," Stephanie added. "I know how your mind works, Levesque." He flashed her a smile before making a point of turning around and covering his eyes with his hands.

"This good?"

"Perfect," she replied. Paul giggled. There weren't too many modest girls in his part of town.

Stephanie stripped down to nothing except for her undergarments. Normally, she would feel so bare and vulnerable, but she trusted Paul. She let her gown fall to the grass and made her way to the lake. She stepped in and moved further until the water came up to her stomach.

"Okay, I'm ready," Stephanie announced. Paul turned around. He didn't want to make her feel more uncomfortable than she already did, so he concentrated on her eyes instead of her body.

"The first thing you have to do is get rid of any fears that you have right now," Paul instructed.

"The most water I've ever been in was in my bathtub. I have plenty of reasons to be fearful."

"Actually, you have nothing to be afraid of. I won't let anything happen to you," he assured her. She felt slightly more relaxed after hearing that. Stephanie decided she wouldn't get worked up over nothing for once, or as Izzy said, "to not over think things."

"I'm not scared anymore."

"Good. Now lie flat on your back. I'll hold you up." She did exactly as he said. "Close your eyes. Relax. Think about something happy—something peaceful. Don't focus on any one thing. Let your mind wander… See, now you're floating."

She hadn't even realized that he let go of her.

"I did it…" she whispered almost shocked.

"You're a lot more capable of things than you may think," Paul stated. "That's all there is to swimming. Just float—on your stomach though. Move your arms and legs, and that's called swimming."

"Like this?" she asked, trying to follow his directions.

"You're a natural," Paul complimented, as she swam to him. Stephanie wrapped her arms around his neck so she could catch her breath.

"You must teach a lot of people to swim," Stephanie noted.

"Actually, no. You're my first." Little did she know, he was referring to more than just swimming.

"Do you come up here a lot?" Stephanie asked, breaking him from his thoughts.

"Pretty often. I usually come here when I want to escape all of the stresses of life."

"So that's why you brought me up here, I'm guessing?"

"Yes, do you like it?"

"I love it. It's so beautiful and serene. I never knew nature was this beautiful," Stephanie said. "I do have one question, though."

"Ask away."

"How many other girls have you brought up here, with plans of _getting some_?" she teased. He laughed.

"None, actually. But that's not a bad idea…" he joked. She realized she was still clinging to Paul, with her arms around him. He didn't seem to mind, though. She suddenly felt awkward about asking him that, because it led to other concerns. What if Paul was one of those guys who juggled multiple women at once? He couldn't be—he was too much of a gentlemen.

"I'm sure the women around here would easily agree to that," Stephanie muttered.

"Well, none of the women interest me around here anyways. I'm picky, if I do say so myself," Paul chuckled. "I'm probably the only 24-year-old virgin on this whole island."

"You're a virgin?"

"Why is that so amusing to you?" Paul asked jokingly.

"I just would have guessed that someone like you…" she trailed off with her words.

"I'm waiting for that special person. And I gather you're waiting until your wedding?" he questioned.

"Oh, please don't remind me."

"Don't tell me you'll give it away that easily—to Kurt of all people." Stephanie remembered how Paul told her she wasn't obligated to do anything. She could make her own choices.

"You're right. That would be stupid of me…"

"Unless you love him," Paul added.

"Oh, God no!" Stephanie replied quickly. Paul laughed.

"Well, we should get going soon, before it gets dark. That's when the snakes really come out," he reminded her. Stephanie shivered in his arms at the thought.

"Paul?"

"Yes, Steph?"

"I think I'm falling in love with you," she whispered. Paul just gazed at her astonished.

Without thinking about it, he moved his hands to her sides, and leaned down so that their foreheads touched. She put her hands on the sides of his face, as he pressed a gentle kiss to her lips.

Stephanie never wanted it to end. He tasted so sweet and his touch made her skin tingle with pleasure. She wished she could freeze time and be stuck in that moment forever.

He pulled away to look into her eyes.

"We think the same way, my darling," Paul whispered.


	8. Inconvenience

"Someone's in an unusually good mood," Izzy commented.

"Who? Me?" Stephanie asked. Izzy sat on Stephanie's bed, and looked around.

"Well, considering you're the only other person in the room…yes, you," Izzy said sarcastically.

Stephanie rolled her eyes. A part of her wanted to tell Izzy every little detail about what happened with Paul yesterday. Yet, another part of her didn't want to give too much away. She'd only known the guy for a day—not even, and there they were swimming half naked together, not to mention kissing. Plus, Paul was seven years older than her. She was a teenage girl, while he was a grown man. And then there was the fact that she was engaged…

"Earth to Steph!" Izzy yelled, waving her hand in front of Stephanie's face. Stephanie blinked a few times, before looking Izzy in the eye.

"Yes?"

"So how did this 'publicity stuff' go yesterday?" Izzy asked curiously, raising an eyebrow. Stephanie tried to hide the guilty look that probably covered her face.

"Just fine," was all she managed to get out.

"Mhm…" Izzy muttered. "So where did you and Paul _really_ go?" Stephanie's jaw dropped and her eyes widened.

"How did you know?"

"Because before you guys left yesterday, Paul asked if I would hand out the wedding fliers," Izzy said with a smile. Paul obviously knew that they could trust Izzy and that she would be on their side. "Okay, give me details. Now," Izzy demanded.

"It's this beautiful lake that he must visit pretty often," Stephanie replied, with the memory still vivid in her mind. "We had to hike through trees to get there. It was at the top of a mountain." Izzy squealed.

"That's so romantic! What happened?"

"Well, he taught me how to swim," Stephanie mumbled. She didn't make eye contact with Izzy to try and prevent further interrogation.

"Is that all?"

"Yes. Nothing else happened," Stephanie lied. Izzy didn't seem convinced, but she dropped the subject.

"Anyways… What are you doing today?" Izzy wondered.

"Well, no one's informed me of anything yet. But knowing my parents, I'll either have to attend some event or go spend time with the Angles'."

"Wow, those are two tempting options you've got there," Izzy commented sarcastically. Stephanie just rolled her eyes and sighed. She wanted to know what Paul was up to. She silently prayed that he would once again save her from hell, but the chances of that happening again were slim. Izzy finished pinning back Stephanie's neatly curled hair. "Beautiful, as always."

"Thanks," she replied softly. What did people without stylists do? They would probably always look the same—no makeup or fancy hairdos. Stephanie loved Izzy to death, but all she really wanted was to be a normal person. She was not ready to get married. Izzy just stared at Steph, trying to read her facial expressions.

"Hey, I've got to get going. You gonna be okay?" Izzy asked, slightly worried. Stephanie had been acting very odd as of late. Her mood was constantly changing, and Izzy would always find her staring off into space at random times.

"I'll be just fine. Thank you for everything," Stephanie said, standing up to hug her friend. It sounded weird saying that to her. It was as if Stephanie was implying this would be the last time she saw Izzy.

"No problem, kid. Love you," Izzy whispered, before pulling away. Before walking out the door, she turned back to glance at Stephanie once more.

"Love you, too," Stephanie replied with a smile. She lied back down on her bed. It was rare that she ever got time to herself this early in the morning, so she wanted to savor every last bit of it. She probably laid there for a good hour before she was interrupted.

She heard her door open up.

"Stephanie!" Kurt screamed with excitement. He opened his arms and pulled her in for a hug, which she unwillingly returned.

"Kurt, what are you doing here…in my room?" she asked confused (and a bit annoyed).

"Well, I thought it would be a wonderful idea for the two of us to spend some time together. I mean, I know we all get together for meals, but I thought some alone time would be nice," Kurt explained with a shrug of his shoulders. Stephanie just glared at him in utter disbelief. There was no way that Kurt actually wanted to spend time with her, unless her father had suggested it. She tried to keep her composure. Telling him off wouldn't fix anything.

"What exactly did you have in mind?" Stephanie asked curiously.

"I was thinking that I shall take you to supper at a fancy restaurant. Only the best for my fiancée," Kurt added, placing a kiss to her hand. He was acting so…_weird_. Stephanie began to think that people were catching on to her real attitude towards Kurt.

"Actually—" Stephanie began, but stopped when her father barged in her room with a goofy grin on his face.

"I couldn't help but overhear of our dinner plans," Vince said. Stephanie moaned.

"Well, we didn't really—"

"No, no. Don't worry about it. I had Jessica clear up your schedule, so you'll be free to go," Vince said with a smile. He patted Kurt on the shoulder.

"Could this night get any more perfect?" Kurt asked. Vince just laughed and looked between the engaged couple. Stephanie thought of the one million things that would be more perfect than a dinner date with Kurt Angle—starting with death.

Before she knew it, Kurt had leaned down to give her a peck on the cheek. Kurt and her father continued to talk as they left her room. For once, Stephanie didn't want to be in her room. Her only safe place would always be invaded by someone she didn't want to talk to. She pulled on a coat and a dark pair of sunglasses before leaving her room.

Surprisingly, she made it all the way downstairs unnoticed. Then a thought crossed her mind. Where was Paul? He was supposed to check in on her every now and then. She hadn't seen him since he brought her home yesterday from the lake. Her heart began to beat loudly with fear. Just the thought of something bad happening to him made her stomach turn. Stephanie had to find Paul. But where to look was the main problem. She'd lived in the castle for 17 years and there were still so many places she'd never ventured to in it.

"Excuse me," Stephanie said, getting the attention of a nearby guard. He turned to look at her. "Where may I find Paul Levesque?"

"Ah, yes—your personal bodyguard. I just saw him a few moments ago. He was leaving," the man explained.

"Leaving? Do you know why? Where was he going?" Stephanie asked. Something didn't seem right.

"I'm sorry, ma'am. I have no idea where he was going. Maybe you can catch up to him if you run fast," the man offered with an apologetic smile. Stephanie ran out the front door of the castle in the direction where Paul usually walked. She picked up her pace so that her light jog was now a full-on sprint. His figure appeared in the distance. By the time she caught up to him, her lungs were burning. Paul turned around at the sound of heavy breathing.

"Stephanie? Are you alright?" he asked, leaning down to look into her eyes.

"Why are you leaving?" she demanded to know, completely ignoring her question.

"Forget about that. You need to catch your breath. Come sit down," Paul instructed. She sat in the grass and positioned her body so she could face him. Her breathing started to even out.

"Why were you leaving?" she repeated calmly. The innocent look in her eyes was killing him. They were the pleading eyes of an abandoned child. He looked down at his feet.

"I don't think this is going to work, Stephanie," Paul stated with a sigh.

"What's not going to work?"

"Us. You and I," he answered simply.

"Paul, I don't understand…" her voice trailed off. She could feel the hot tears welling up in her eyes.

"Then let me explain. Stephanie, I was being stupid. I shouldn't have led you on the way I did. I shouldn't have taken you to the lake and I sure as hell shouldn't have kissed you. But I can't control my emotions when I'm around you. Therefore, I shall leave. I won't be an inconvenience in your life anymore," Paul said, standing up. He couldn't look her in the eyes.

"Inconvenience?" she asked in disbelief, standing up. Stephanie turned his shoulder so that he was facing her once again. "You think you're an inconvenience in my life?"

"I know I am," he whispered softly.

"Paul, you're the only thing in my life worth living for," Stephanie replied. Her words flowed so naturally. They were genuine and real in every way.

"Don't say that, Steph. We've only known each other for two days."

"The best two days of my life," she said with a smile.

"You're engaged," Paul reminded her.

"So?" she replied with a shrug. He smiled at her carelessness. It was about time she started making her own decisions. She wrapped her arms around his neck and moved closer to him.

"Fine. I'll stay—on one condition," Paul announced.

"Hmmm…And what would that be?" she asked with a twinkle in her eyes.

"Kiss me," Paul whispered. He placed his hands on her waist as their lips met in a passionate kiss. It was even better than their first one.

"Let's get out of here before we're spotted," Stephanie hushed in a low voice.

"Good idea."

They started walking towards the castle.

"We have to try," Stephanie said.

"I know, Steph. I want this to work, too. But it won't be easy."

"Love never is easy," Stephanie whispered.

"Where'd you hear that, McMahon?" Paul asked with a chuckle. She playfully smacked his arm.

"I do know some things, you know," Stephanie retorted. As they approached the castle, Stephanie saw Kurt's parents talking out front. "Shit," she whispered.

"What?" Paul asked.

"I have to go on a date with Kurt tonight." Paul frowned at her.

"You don't have to..."

"Ugh…I don't have time for this lecture again, Paul," she snapped. "Just help me," she pleaded.

"How?"

"Come on the date with me!" she begged.

"Not in a million years. No offense, but I can't stand your fiancée."

"Join the club."

They were able to sneak past the Angles' and make it up to Stephanie's room. Paul clicked the door behind him while Stephanie plopped down on her bed.

"Lock it," she whispered. He did as she directed him to. "Paul?"

"Yes?" he asked, sitting down on her bed. He leaned back into her pillows, while Stephanie snuggled into his chest.

"Why were we born into these lives?" she asked. He stared at her in confusion. "Like, why was I born as me? And you were born as you?"

"Some things just don't have an explanation, Steph," Paul explained. He smiled to himself at her curiosity.

"Like how I feel about you. There's no explanation for it. It's just there, I guess," Stephanie mumbled.

"You ask me a lot of questions. Now I've got one for you, love."

"Go for it," she replied.

"What do you dream about?"

"You, of course. What else would I dream about?" Stephanie asked with a giggle. She ran her fingers up and down his stomach. "Where were you headed before I ran after you?"

"Nowhere in particular. Maybe to visit my family for a few days, or just hang by the lake."

"What do you mean visit your family? You don't live with them?"

"Sometimes. It's hard for me to stay in one place for a long time," he explained. She lifted her head from his chest to look him in the eyes.

"Does that mean you're going to just pack up and leave me soon?" Stephanie asked worriedly. He gazed into her eyes for a moment before answering.

"Of course not. In fact, I plan on staying with you for quite a long time."

"How long?"

"However long you want me to, Steph."

"Is forever okay with you?" she whispered. He kissed her gently before pulling back.

"Forever sounds like a plan."


	9. Forever

**A/N: Hey guys! Sorry for the lack of updates, but school is finally out! Sorry for any mistakes in this chapter-I'm pretty tired, but I just had so many ideas I needed to get out on paper. This is my longest chapter so far:) I really enjoyed writing this one, so I hope you enjoy reading it. Remember to leave reviews...I love reading them3**

With each week passing by, Paul and Stephanie grew closer together. They became inseparable within such a short amount of time. However, their precious time together was running out by the second. There were less than four weeks until the wedding. Vince had decided that Paul would no longer be Stephanie's bodyguard after she had Kurt to protect her full time. His decision only lowered the chances of their relationship succeeding.

"Stephanie, I've scheduled a fitting for your wedding gown this afternoon. Your father and I decided to hire a professional seamstress to ensure that your dress fits absolutely perfect," Linda said, walking into her daughter's bedroom. Stephanie sighed on the inside, but gave a small smile on the outside. "Stephanie, you really need to be more social. I come up here every day to always find you locked away in your room."

"How am I supposed to be social? I don't have any friends, and Shane isn't welcome here anymore," Stephanie mumbled. She didn't want to mention that her only two friends happened to be her stylist and bodyguard (who was more than a friend to her). It would lead to so many questions, and questions could be dangerous.

"Is that what's bothering you, dear?" Linda began. "You miss your brother, don't you?" Stephanie couldn't tell where her mother stood on the "Shane situation." Initially, Linda sided with Vince and agreed that their son would only cause problems. Maybe she changed her mind.

"Yes, Mom. I do miss Shane. Maybe if he were here I would be happier," Stephanie said softly. "Plus Shane and Kurt can start to bond like brothers. It's a really great opportunity." Linda nodded her head in total agreement. Throwing in a comment about Kurt always seemed to please her parents. For some reason, they just adored the man.

"Honey, that's a great idea. I'll be sure to discuss it with your father. Now you better be getting ready. We have a big day planned ahead of us. Aren't weddings so great?" Linda chuckled.

"The greatest," Stephanie muttered. She was glad that her mother didn't detect the sarcasm in her tone. Instead, Linda just left the room. As if on cue, there was a knock at the door. She didn't need to see the person to know it would be Paul.

"Good morning," Paul whispered. He leaned back on her bed so that he could lie next to her. Stephanie shifted her body so that she was on top of him and moved her mouth so it met his in a passionate kiss. When they pulled apart, Paul chuckled. "Feel free to greet me like that every morning." Stephanie smirked. Maybe she would.

"I would if I could. But in four weeks time, I'll be getting married. And you'll have another job…" she said with a frown. She rolled off of him and sat up, crossing her legs. "We'll never see each other again."

"I promise you that won't happen," Paul whispered in a husky voice.

"Don't make me promises you can't keep, Paul." He sighed. Maybe she was right. What if they never saw each other? Their lives would be headed in different directions, and neither of them could stop it from happening.

"Give Kurt a chance," Paul ordered. He knew Kurt could be a jerk, but maybe there was a whole other side of him that Stephanie would fall in love with.

"What?" Stephanie asked, horrified by Paul's words.

"Steph, I want you to be happy when I'm not in your life anymore. You can't live in the past forever."

"Forever." Stephanie said the word in disgust. "What does that even mean anymore?"

"What are you talking about?" Paul asked. Stephanie stood up and paced her room.

"What I'm talking about is that a month ago you told me that you'd stay with me forever!" Stephanie snapped. Her voice was getting louder. "But apparently 'forever' has time limits now!"

"Steph, don't do this to me."

"So now this is about me hurting you? You're the one telling me to marry my worst nightmare! You're the one already making plans to leave! You're the one who doesn't have a problem with breaking my heart!" Stephanie screamed. Paul stood up and placed his hand over her mouth before she could lash out at him some more.

"Steph, I love you. Please believe me when I say that. But we come from completely different worlds—worlds that won't allow us to be together. You can either have me or Kurt. But your parents choose Kurt, and you go along with whatever they say. So technically, you're choosing Kurt, too. I'm sorry. I need to leave," he said softly. The tears welling up in her eyes were like a mirror image of the ones in his. He kissed her forehead as a silent apology. He left the room without looking back. He feared that if he did, he would listen to his heart and not his head. Stephanie just stood there in silence. Her body shut down on her; therefore, no tears fell from her eyes.

"Steph? Steph? Can you hear me?"

Stephanie kept her eyes shut tight. She wanted to escape all reality and live in her dream world, where she would always be happy. No one would tell her who to marry, no one would make her attend events, and no one would break her heart.

"She's coming around, I think." It was her mother's voice. She felt someone stroke her cheek.

"Stephanie, please wake up!" It was Shane. His voice triggered the opening of her eyes.

"Shane!" Stephanie screamed, flinging her arms around him.

"Hey kiddo, don't get up too fast. Wouldn't want you to faint again," he said seriously. She realized that both her mother and father were standing behind Shane, who was kneeling next to her.

"I fainted?" she asked confused.

"You must have. When we came in here, you were passed out on the floor. Do you remember what happened before you blacked out?" Shane asked in a soothing voice. Stephanie was somewhat comforted by her brother's presence, but it was Paul who she really needed.

"I don't remember," she lied. Paul was not a subject to be brought up around her parents. She didn't want to explain about how he'd broken her heart.

After about a half hour, Stephanie was up and moving around again. Her parents called a doctor who declared that she was possibly dehydrated. Then her father gave her a lecture about how she needed to drink lots of water if she wanted to be healthy enough to get married. Maybe dehydrating herself would be a good way to get out of marrying Kurt.

"What a terrible thing to happen so close to the wedding! And the fitting is today!" Linda complained.

"You heard the doctor, Linda. She's fine now. Stephanie will have no problems going to her fitting," Vince assured his wife. Shane disagreed with his father in every way, but decided to keep quiet. Stephanie needed him and getting banned from the castle wouldn't help him be there for her

Two hours later, Stephanie was sitting in a room filled with nothing but cloth, thread, and sewing machines. The seamstress' name was Helga. Her strong accent and harsh eyes made her seem more like a drill sergeant though.

It was also the first time she actually got to see her dress. It was white (obviously), strapless, and sparkly. The bottom was poufy and reached the floor. The top was like wearing a push-up bra. It was tight and made her breasts pop out at the top. She swore her rib cage would collapse any moment. Maybe she would stop breathing while walking down the aisle.

"Turn!" Helga ordered. Linda supervised the whole thing, but only added a comment here and there about the wedding.

When they were all finished, Stephanie and Linda headed back to the castle.

"Mom, would you mind if I spent the rest of the night in my room? I'm really tired from everything that's happened today," Stephanie pleaded. Linda thought about it for a moment.

"Alright, Stephanie. But I expect you to be up bright and early tomorrow morning. You know how your father feels about sleeping in," Linda reminded her. Stephanie nodded at her mother and dragged her feet up the stairs.

When she arrived to her room, the first thing she did was lie down on her bed. She tried not to remember the things that happened the last time she was on her bed. However, the words seemed to be burnt into her mind. Paul. Love. Hope. Fear. Defiance. Forever. Lies. Hearts. Broken. Upset. Leave. Goodbye. Faint.

She closed her eyes and cuddled her pillow into her chest. A small whimper escaped her body, which began to shake heavily. She had to find Paul. She couldn't go on like this. Every second she was away from him only crushed her heart even more.

Stephanie waited until it was dark before she pulled on a pair of shoes and crept out of the castle. Her body wouldn't function right. Her legs were weak and her head was endlessly throbbing. There was a burning feeling in the pit of her stomach.

With a coat wrapped around her shoulders, she walked on with no idea where she was going. The only way she would find Paul was if she bumped into him by accident. But what were the odds of that happening?

Stephanie stumbled through the small town for hours. With each hour that passed, there were less and less people out and about. Fortunately, no one recognized her. People assumed she was homeless, with some even offering to let her spend the night.

She whispered Paul's name several times into the cold night air, wishing he would appear right in front of her. She wanted to let Paul know that she was choosing him—that she had always chosen him.

Midnight had passed. Stephanie was too far from the castle to make it back before she fell asleep. She looked at all of the houses. All of them appeared dark through their windows. Except for one. It stood out amongst the rest because of the bright light it was shining on the street. She figured whoever lived there was awake, so she walked slowly to the front door.

Her legs gave out on her, and she ended up sitting on the ground. She held her knees to her chest and lightly knocked on the wooden door. It was a few moments before the door opened. Stephanie had to do a double take at the face in front of her.

"P-Paul?" she asked in disbelief.

"Steph? What are you doing here?" Paul asked, rubbing at his eyes. He kneeled down on the ground next to her. It was then that he noticed she was shaking.

"I-I don't, um, know. I w-was looking for…um…" she mumbled. Stephanie couldn't even talk through her violent sobs. Paul held his palm to her forehead.

"Stephanie, you're freezing cold! Come inside, honey. You need to warm up," Paul said softly. He grabbed both of her hands and helped her stand up. She leaned against his shoulder to try and balance her walking. Paul led her to a couch and brought her some blankets, which he wrapped around her body.

"Th-thanks," she whispered.

"Of course. I'm going to make you some hot tea, alright? I'll be in the kitchen, so just call if you need me." She nodded.

Stephanie couldn't help but thank her lucky stars for leading her to Paul. It must have been a miracle that she ended up in front of his house. Paul returned with a small cup. He handed it to Stephanie.

"Be careful. It's hot," he warned her, as he sat down on a chair across from her. She sipped at the tea and could feel her body begin to stabilize.

"I was looking for you," Stephanie admitted shyly.

"You did a good job."

"I don't even know how I ended up here. This was the only house with lights on. I wasn't even planning on it being yours," Stephanie explained.

"It's very late, Stephanie. You could have gotten sick in the freezing night air," Paul said.

"I know. But I had to find you. I had the worst day ever. All I could think about was what you said to me—that I was choosing Kurt. I want you to know that isn't true at all. I've always chosen you, because you've always been my only option." Paul smiled at her.

"I'm sorry, Steph. I shouldn't have left the way I did. I had no right to blame you for anything. I love you," Paul stated. He stood up and joined her on the couch. She let the blankets fall from her shoulders and she leaned her head into his shoulder.

"I love you, Paul," she whispered, kissing the column of his throat. He moaned at her touch. It left a burning sensation throughout his body. She pulled away for a moment so she could speak. "I'll find a way not to marry Kurt. I don't know how yet, but I'll think of a plan."

"We'll make it through this, you know," Paul said. "We can start thinking of something in the morning." She nodded. Paul grabbed Stephanie's hand and led her to the bedroom.

She leaned up to kiss him, but the kiss felt so different—to both of them. Something about it was so intense, which made them crave more. Stephanie began to unbutton his shirt, while he pulled off her jacket. They slowly undressed each other, until they both wore nothing but their underwear. Paul moved his mouth down her body, sucking at her skin each step of the way. Stephanie allowed her fingers to become tangled into his hair, letting out a moan every now and then.

Paul lifted her up, so that her legs were wrapped around his waist and placed her on the bed. She felt the tingling in between her thighs and knew exactly what she needed. Paul unhooked her bra, but didn't remove it from her body yet. He looked at Stephanie and waited for her to meet eyes with him. She was confused at why he stopped.

"Steph, I don't want to do anything you're not ready for," he said sincerely, still holding the scrap of material so it covered her chest.

"Paul, I'm as ready as I'll ever be. I love you."

"What if I hurt you?" Paul asked shyly. The fear was evident in his eyes.

"You won't. I trust you," she assured him. He was hesitant to do anything more.

"I love you," he reminded her.

"Show me."

Paul threw her bra to the floor. Both of them stripped each other down to nothing very quickly. They were in their most natural states as human beings. Once their bodies joined as one, they knew they were made for each other. It was a perfect fit. Making love to Stephanie felt like the most natural thing to Paul. He was gentle with her the entire time and could sense the pleasure she felt through her soft moans. All of Stephanie's worries and fears were washed away. She was with the man she loved, and everything was going to be alright.

Neither one of them regretted taking their relationship to the next level. It had only brought the couple closer together, strengthening every feeling of love they shared.

As Paul held Stephanie in his arms that night, he couldn't help but feel blessed to have met the love of his life. He didn't fall asleep at all, but that was fine with him. He simply enjoyed watching Stephanie sleep. She was so angelic and perfect in every way possible. He smiled every time she whispered his name in her sleep and secretly hoped that he was in her dreams.


	10. Coming Clean

**So I went back and re-read this story so I remembered what was going on. Lol that's sad. But I didn't have a computer for a WHOLE week. (I almost died.) Anyways, I decided to mix things up for this chapter. Instead of revolving around Steph, this one follows Paul around and you get to hear a lot of his thoughts/opinions. Enjoy! AND PLEASE LEAVE REVIEWS, even if they are anonymous:) I just wanna know what you guys think!**

Paul anxiously paced around his small living room, still trying to absorb exactly what had happened last night. His body was still tingling while his brain was overflowing with thoughts of Stephanie. Since the moment he saved her life many months back, there was just something about her that he couldn't ignore. Was it the way her blue eyes sparkled when he smiled at her? Or was it the way a red blush would stain her cheeks when he complimented her?

Either way, Stephanie had entered his life and changed him forever. Their night shared together only further convinced him that they were meant to be together. Before her unexpected arrival at his doorstep, Paul hadn't been able to sleep. He'd felt guilty about leaving Stephanie, despite thinking he was doing what was best for her. Of course she had come to his house and made him realize that he couldn't be more wrong. Clearly the best thing for her was him.

And then it happened. One thing led to another. Paul made love to Stephanie throughout the night. He hadn't even planned on it happening, but wasn't your first time supposed to be unexpected? He could only hope that Stephanie enjoyed it—that she hadn't given up her virginity to someone who couldn't satisfy her. But Paul wouldn't know until later today.

At about three in the morning, Paul had woken up to find Stephanie in a deep sleep. If Vince or Linda noticed her absence, both of them would be in a world of trouble. Paul fought off the desire to keep her in his arms forever, and instead carried her back to the castle. Fortunately, no one had noticed him, or if they did, they didn't care enough to interrogate him. Most guards with night shifts at the castle were either too exhausted or just bitter by the early morning hours.

Paul brought the sleeping princess to her bed, tucked her in, and placed a gentle kiss to her lips before returning to his own house. And here he was now, trying to figure out where this would take their forbidden love story.

His thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door. Normally he ignored all visitors, but he couldn't rule out the fact that his visitor could very well be the love of his life. Lazily, Paul stumbled to the door and opened it.

"Lynn?" he asked, rubbing his eyes. What was she doing here? No one from his family even knew he lived in this house—or at least that's what he thought.

"Yes, Paul. It's me. Your sister. Ya know, the one from that family you used to visit every now and then?" Lynn said with a slight attitude before quickly hugging her younger brother.

"Good one, sis. You can come in, I guess," Paul offered reluctantly. Lynn entered his house and looked around, before making herself comfortable on his sofa.

Lynn was 28 years old. She was average height and on the skinnier side. Her hair color was almost identical to Paul's. It was that deep gold in between blonde and brown. Lynn's wavy locks fell just past her shoulders. Unlike her brother's hazel eyes, Lynn's were a dark brown. Growing up, it wasn't hard at all for people to tell that Paul and Lynn were siblings.

However, their personalities differed slightly, too. Lynn was impatient. As much as Paul poked fun at Stephanie's impatience, Lynn's was ten times worse. She liked to be up in everybody's business, so it didn't surprise Paul that she'd basically showed up uninvited.

Paul broke the awkward silence with a cough, before starting the conversation.

"What brings you here?" Paul asked, taking a seat on the chair across from the sofa. Lynn's eyes went wide in disbelief.

"Where do I begin, Paul?" she groaned, throwing her hands above her head.

"The beginning is usually a nice place," Paul commented with a chuckle.

"Now is not the time for your smart-ass remarks. Would you like to know what brings me here?" she asked. Paul nodded. Why was she asking him that? She would obviously tell him no matter what his reply was. "I came to check in on you. You know, make sure you're still alive or didn't just pack up and leave the country." Paul shot her a confused look so she continued. "Paul, none of us have seen or heard from you since you were pardoned from your execution and got that job at the castle. Mom and Dad are worried sick about you. Especially Mom. You should be _ashamed_ for putting your family through all this."

Paul had finally realized that he'd never checked in with his family ever since he became wrapped up in Stephanie. He couldn't help that though. His family had each other. Stephanie had no one.

"Look, Lynn. I'm sorry. I've been really busy—"

"Busy? Don't even start with that lame excuse. You're obviously not very busy if you have time to live in this house—which you never even mentioned to any of us—and lounge around all day," Lynn retorted loudly. Paul rubbed at his temple, praying that his sister's lectures wouldn't leave him with a headache.

"Would you let me speak for once?" He took her glare as a yes. "My job…takes a lot out of me. I barely have time for myself anymore. You just happened to catch me on a day where I'm here for a little while. I don't have to work until later," Paul explained softly. Lynn bit down on her bottom lip, feeling a bit guilty for lashing out on her little brother.

"I understand Paul. But I'm sure you can find some time for us? That is, if you still want to be around your family," Lynn added.

"Of course I do! I love you guys. And I miss you. I really do." And he wasn't lying.

"You should have dinner with us tonight. Do you think you could take the day off?" Lynn begged. Paul nervously chewed his lip. What was he supposed to do? "Please, Paul? Just send a messenger to the king and say you're taking the day off for personal reasons. He can't be _that_ coldhearted." Paul snorted.

"You've obviously never met him," Paul muttered.

"Paul Michael Levesque. I already told Mom that you were coming to dinner tonight. Now you better damn well come if you don't want to break our mother's heart. Do you understand?" Lynn said sternly. Paul sighed.

"I understand. What time should I be there?"

"How about 3ish? That gives you time to work things out with those royal assholes," Lynn said with a wink.

"Sounds good to me."

Getting the day off was easier than Paul expected. He decided against sending a messenger—it seemed too unprofessional. Instead he went to the castle himself and brought up his issue with one of the people who reports directly to Vince. Apparently, the whole family was going out to brunch with the Angle family. Paul couldn't help but think of Steph. She would probably suffer the entire time, unless of course Shane was present. Then she could last through the meal and keep some sanity. Paul had spoken to Shane a few times and could tell why Stephanie looked up to him so much. Paul was amazed that both McMahon kids ended up normal considering the self-centered parents that gave birth to them.

"Hey Mom," Paul greeted as his mother opened the door.

"Hi sweetheart!" Patricia, Paul's mother, replied. She embraced her only son and planted a thousand kisses all over his cheeks. Lynn giggled behind her mother and made faces at Paul, who just stuck his tongue out. "Come inside, dear!" Paul followed his mother and sister into the kitchen.

"Paul! How are you, son?" Paul, Sr. asked, as he emerged from the living room.

"Hey Dad! I'm great, how are you?" Paul asked, as he pulled his dad in for a hug.

"Not too bad."

The family sat around the kitchen table and made small talk by talking about what was new in everyone's lives. Lynn and her husband Gordon were looking into buying a new house once they could afford it. Currently, they lived in the same home as Paul, Sr. and Patricia. Gordon had been doing a lot of travelling across the country, mostly trying to get into the bartering business. Lynn was doing a lot more labor work on the farm ever since Paul had started living on his own. His parents were doing pretty well, too. They were both working to build up the family business.

"Paul, what do you think of coming back home to work on the farm?" Paul, Sr. proposed, which took Paul by surprised. He choked on the water he was currently drinking. Three pairs of eyes anxiously stared at him, awaiting his answer.

"Like permanently?" Paul asked.

"Why not?" Patricia jumped in.

"Well, what about my job at the castle?" Paul interjected.

"Paul, how could you possibly want to stay there? Don't you want to get away from those royal snobs?" Paul, Sr. wondered. His whole family could sense his resistance to come home. They only could wonder what kept him glued to his job at the castle.

"Some of them are actually good people," Paul tried to explain. Lynn snorted while Patricia rolled her eyes.

"We're your family, though. Are you saying you'd rather guard and protect those rich snobs than help contribute to this family?" Lynn questioned. Paul sighed and tried to hold back his emotions. He would not lose his temper in front of his parents. He rarely got to see them, and he wanted to make this visit a good one. So far, things weren't going according to plan.

"I never said—"

"But you implied it," Lynn said, cutting her brother off.

"So this is why you wanted me to come here for dinner? So you could suck every detail of my life out of me? So you could force me into doing something I'm not interested in?" Paul raised his voice, specifically looking at Lynn.

"Sweetie, that's not what this is at all," Patricia said softly. She rubbed her hand up and down her son's forearm. "We just miss you so much. Paul, if you won't leave your job permanently, will you at least take some time off?"

Paul wished he could tell his mother yes. All she wanted was her little boy back, but sadly that could never happen. As much as he wanted to be there for her, Stephanie needed him more. The wedding was coming closer and closer. They needed to form a plan. If that plan involved leaving everything behind, so be it.

"Mom, Dad, I need you to know something. I love you. I know you want me here, but I _need_ to be there," Paul said, referring to the castle. His mother frowned.

"Why?" Paul, Sr. asked confused.

"You wouldn't understand. You might even hate me," Paul replied honestly.

"Oh Paul, that's not possible! You know that!" Patricia reassured her son.

"Speak for yourselves," Lynn muttered. Both parents shot a death glare at their daughter. "I'm kidding!" she responded defensively.

"Paul, go on…" Patricia ordered.

"I'm in love," Paul admitted with a shrug. It was the first time he'd admitted it to someone other than Stephanie. He said it as if it was so natural.

"What?" Lynn asked in disbelief. She couldn't hold back the obnoxious laughter that followed her question.

"Why's that so funny?" Paul asked curiously.

"Because it's you, Paul! Mr. 'I Don't Believe in Love.' That's why I'm laughing."

"Well, that's not me anymore. She changed me," Paul explained. The words slipped out of his mouth before he realized what he was actually saying. Their next question was so obvious. It was just waiting on the tips of their tongues.

"Who?" all three family members asked in unison. One thousand different things ran through Paul's head at once. He was in too deep already. There was no going back now. He might as well come clean altogether.

"Stephanie McMahon," Paul whispered, putting his head down so he could block out their reactions. Quite frankly, he didn't want to see them. He heard their gasps and could sense them all looking at each other to see who would make the next move. A dead silence filled the kitchen.

"That's the…silliest thing I've ever heard, Paul," his father said, shaking his head back and forth in disbelief.

"You can't be serious," Lynn said in denial. Patricia remained silent, still stunned by her son's confession.

"As a heart attack," Paul replied monotonously. Lynn just stared at him.

"Does she know?" Patricia asked, speaking up for the first time. She wanted Paul to express his feelings, and she knew that wouldn't happen if Lynn started with her snide remarks.

"Steph? Yeah, she knows."

"Paul, isn't Stephanie engaged to that Kurt Angle fellow?" Paul Sr. asked. He had no idea what was going through his son's mind. Stephanie McMahon! The princess! What did he see in her of all people? There were plenty of nice, attractive women who would be interested in Paul…but he somehow chose the king's baby girl.

"That's one of our biggest obstacles," Paul replied.

"Our? As in, you and her? As in, she loves you too?" Lynn managed to ask.

"Yes. We're in love. I don't know how or why. But we are. At first I was a bit skeptical of the whole thing. I figured it was a silly crush or a slight attraction to her," Paul explained. His family listened intently.

"Start from the beginning, sweetheart," Patricia told her son. He nodded and started to tell the story.

"This whole thing started last October—the 25th to be exact. I was walking through town like any other day. Then I saw it. There was a horse carriage out of control. It was headed straight for a girl. I couldn't see her face, but it didn't make a difference. I pushed her out of the way. 'Her' just happened to be Stephanie McMahon. When I looked into her eyes… I was blown away or something. I couldn't breathe. I wasn't sure if it was from my adrenaline rush to save her life or the way she was looking at me. I left without getting to say much to her—I didn't even introduce myself. Pretty soon her mother arrived and that was the end of it. Fast forward in time, to when I'm sentenced to death for stealing a third time. As I'm sitting in my cell the night before my execution, I spot her. She's saying something to her father, almost begging him. I lock eyes with her for nearly a second, before she's dragged away. The next day, I come to find out that she was the one who convinced her father to pardon me. And I end up as her personal bodyguard. Just my luck," Paul said, looking between his parents, who seem intrigued by his story. Even Lynn is sitting forward, listening with her full attention. "That night I find out more about Steph. I sit at her bedside while she tells me about herself. She's not the typical spoiled, selfish princess everyone thinks of her as. She's just the opposite. She's a girl who's mistreated by her family. She's a girl who's being forced to marry someone she hates. She's a girl that didn't know what it felt like to have someone love her more than their self. Until me…" Paul finished. His mother looked like she was about to break down.

"Honey, if you really feel that way about a girl, then I don't care who she is, where she comes from, or even who her family is. I just want you to be happy," Patricia said, hugging her son tightly.

"Thanks, Mom. That means a lot to me."

"I agree with your mother, son. If Stephanie is everything you say she is, then she sounds like the perfect girl," Paul, Sr. said, nodding at Paul in approval. "Lynn, what are your thoughts?" Lynn looked at her brother.

"You love her. I guess that's all that matters. But that still doesn't change the circumstances," Lynn pointed out.

"What do you mean?" Patricia asked her daughter.

"Where do I start? Vince hates peasants. If he ever found out about this relationship, Paul would find himself back on death row," Lynn stated.

"I know that. But it's a risk I'm willing to take," Paul replied.

"Fine. But what about the age difference? She's seventeen, right? I'm pretty sure it's illegal for you to have some kind of relationship with a minor," Lynn stated, once again.

"Lynn, I appreciate your many concerns. But I think I've already broken about every one of Vince McMahon's laws," Paul said with a chuckle.

"True," Lynn began. "What about the fact that she's—I don't know—_engaged_ to another guy? How do you plan on getting around that one?"

"I—we—don't know yet. Steph and I are working on that still. But feel free to give any suggestions. We're open to all ideas at this point."

"Paul, if you really love someone and you're meant to be together, things will work out in the end," Patricia assured her son. He smiled gratefully at his mother.

"I hope you're right, Mom."

**Thought I'd give a little preview into Chapter 11... Steph WILL be back in this one. (I missed her too much lol) And she has a LOT to say to Paul about their special night together...Keep in mind that she still doesn't know why he took the day off. "Personal" reasons...possibly avoiding her? hmm...anyways. REVIEWS PLEASE:)**


	11. Options

**Hey, so I've had this chapter written for a while, but needed to edit a few things. It's not super long and it's only one scene, but there's a lot of dialogue. The next chapter will include most of the characters (hopefully). I just want to say to Brett, who ALWAYS leaves amazing reviews on this story, thank you so much! You inspire me to update! I was so glad to see your name on my review alerts again! Also, thanks to everyone leaving reviews! Enjoy this chapter. (Also, let me know which stories you want updated soon!)**

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Stephanie lied awake in bed, with her wide eyes staring absently at the ceiling. No matter how hard she tried to shut her eyes, they wouldn't remain closed. But were her eyes the real problem? No, not at all. Those damn thoughts of him were to blame for keeping her wired and anxious. What "personal" reason kept him from coming to work today? It wasn't like Paul to not show up without a real explanation.

Unless it was Stephanie's fault. Was she not good enough for him? Maybe Paul had suddenly come to the realization that she wasn't what he was looking for. Paul needed a woman, but Stephanie would always be a broken, abandoned little girl to him. Nothing could change that. No one could change her.

Stephanie had spent her whole life faced with abuse and neglect, mostly from her parents. But the media had a big influence on it, too. She was tired of the cameras, the lights, the fake smiles. Things were all coming full circle now. She had driven away the one thing she truly held close to her heart.

Among sadness, there were other feelings she had. Anger. Disbelief. But a part of her expected this from Paul. Ever since he mentioned that thing about not being able to stay in one place for a while. He'd proved himself to be true on that statement.

So now Stephanie was left with two options.

She could blame herself for this whole thing (much like she was already doing). Maybe she was just one of those people who couldn't find love. After all, she was the stupid one. For all she knew, Paul hadn't even been a virgin. He probably ran around with lots of women and didn't give it a second thought. Stephanie McMahon just happened to be the flavor of the week, too blind to see it for herself.

There was the other option though. She could confront him, if she could find him for that matter. She would make him apologize for toying with her emotions. It wouldn't make things completely better, but at least she could tell him off. Deep down, she knew lashing out at him wouldn't help her in the long run. She just needed to understand what made him that way.

Frustrated with herself, Stephanie rolled over in bed, pushing the heavy covers to the floor. There was a slight knock at her bedroom door. Who the hell was visiting her at midnight? The door opened before she could fully get out of bed. She saw his silhouette before the details of his face became recognizable in the moonlight.

"Steph," Paul whispered, approaching her slowly. He hadn't expected her to be awake. He'd only planned on slipping in to check on her. She stood up straight and just stared into his eyes. She felt dizzy with each movement he made to get closer to her. "I'm sorry. Did I startle you?" So now he apparently cared about how she felt.

Although Stephanie had so much to say to him, all the words were lodged in her throat. He pushed up her chin with his fingertips, forcing her to stare deep into his hazel eyes. That's when she lost it.

"How could you?" she whispered. Stephanie had expected tears to fall, but her eyes were probably permanently dried out by now. A confused expression crossed Paul's face, so she just let the words fall from her lips. "You used me…"

"What? No, Steph! It's not what you think."

"Don't throw your bullshit lines at me," Stephanie ordered. It was the first time she was truly mad at Paul since they started dating, so to speak. Paul's eyes widened at her harsh tone. Stephanie, on the other hand, was done with him. She violently turned her body away from his, but Paul stopped her by putting his hand on her shoulder.

"Let me explain, Steph," he whispered. As much as she wanted to shake him off, she remained still with open ears. "Please?" The pleading tone in Paul's voice was the only thing that made her turn to look at him. He took that as a sign to start talking, so he did. "Steph, what we did was amazing. That night…was the greatest night of my life. You have no idea how hard it was for me to take you back to the castle. I needed you in my arms, but I must not be selfish when I'm with you. Your father would be outraged if he woke up to find you gone in the middle of the night."

"I understand that, Paul. What I don't understand is why you weren't here yesterday," Stephanie sighed.

"Yesterday morning, my sister showed up to my house and accused me of abandoning our family. She guilted me into going to home for dinner. So I did. That's why I wasn't here for you," Paul explained simply. He watched Stephanie's infuriated expression turn to an apologetic one.

"That's all?" she asked quietly, starting to feel guilty herself about wrongly accusing Paul.

"That's all," Paul confirmed. Stephanie sighed again. This time, it was a sigh of both relief and disappointment. Relief that Paul was everything she thought he was and disappoint that she'd ever doubted that.

Instead of giving some long heartfelt apology, Stephanie simply leaned up and kissed his lips softly. Paul slightly opened his mouth, which allowed her to slide her tongue over his. The couple stood there with their lips fused together until they were both gasping for air.

Paul chewed on his bottom lip and looked down at the floor. Clearly, he had something on his mind. Maybe he was still upset at Stephanie for jumping to conclusions. Instead of prompting him to explain his feelings, she just waited silently until he started talking.

"I told my family about you," Paul said, pushing back a strand of her dark brown hair so he could see her eyes fully. There was something about her eyes that just warmed his heart. They were so blue. It was like staring into a mix of the sky, the ocean, and heaven all at once.

"You did? What did they say? Are they mad?" she asked impatiently. If Paul's parents disapproved, then she didn't know what they would do. They needed support from his family, because they obviously weren't going to get it from hers.

"My parents? Not at all. I told them the whole story, and they're happy as long as I am," Paul began. And truth be told, he'd never been happier in his entire life. "But my sister…has a slightly different opinion," he said a bit hesitantly. Stephanie sighed, even though she had expected something like this.

"She doesn't like me…" Stephanie pointed out. It wasn't a question, but a simply stated fact.

"That's not true! She just doesn't like the idea of…us." Paul couldn't find another way to word it. It was kind of a hard statement to sugarcoat with the positives. Stephanie frowned. "But, hey. She hasn't even met you yet. Lynn's just being overprotective."

"I guess you can't blame her. I mean, I am Vince McMahon's daughter."

"That's true. But this whole conversation brings me to my next question," Paul began, while Stephanie waited for him to continue. "What would you say to meeting my family?"

"I'd say…that it would be wonderful," Stephanie beamed. Paul had expected Steph to be a bit more reluctant to say yes, especially since he had just admitted his sister's opposition to their relationship. "Want to do it tomorrow?"

"Eh, I just visited my family today. Two days in a row can get pretty hectic. How about the day after tomorrow?" he proposed. Stephanie nodded, letting a yawn slip from her mouth. "Plus, it will give you some time to catch up on all that missed sleep from the other night," Paul added with a wink.

"Don't push it, Levesque."

"I couldn't resist," he chuckled, with a shrug. "Now get back in bed, young lady," he ordered. Paul placed his hands on her shoulders and guided her back to the bed.

"But I'm not tired," Stephanie groaned, even as she was lying back against her pillow. Meanwhile, Paul was picking up the heavy blanket she had tossed to the ground. "You should tell me a bedtime story," she suggested sweetly. Paul snorted as he put the blanket back over her body.

"I don't do bedtime stories, McMahon."

Stephanie sighed and batted her eyelashes in Paul's direction.

"Alright, fine," Paul agreed. It wasn't worth trying to not give into Stephanie's wishes. Especially not when she was being so damn adorable.

"You can't say no to me," Stephanie boasted victoriously.

"Don't make me change my mind…" he warned. "What kind of story should I tell?" Paul pulled a chair up to Stephanie's bedside. It was like déjà vu. She smiled at the memory of the first night he spent with her. The night where Paul stayed with her until she fell asleep, despite knowing little about her. It was the first time Stephanie ever truly content.

"A fairytale," she yawned.

"I don't know any good fairytales," Paul admitted.

"Make one up."

So Paul did just that. He told the story of a peasant who saved the princess' life, only for her to save his in return. Despite the many obstacles they faced, the two fell in love. The peasant showed the princess the true meaning of life—how to let go of everything and enjoy herself. The princess learned that maybe the world they lived in wasn't such a bad place; you just needed to find the right people.

"You know, this sounds _very_ familiar," Stephanie commented, interrupting Paul's story.

"Does it?" Paul asked innocently. Stephanie smiled to herself. Hearing their story told by Paul was truly amazing. She hadn't even realized what a fairytale their lives had become. The way he spoke made it sound as if a beautiful princess could never fall for a filthy peasant. That statement couldn't be more wrong in her eyes.

"It does."

"Well, if you're so familiar with this story, I guess I'm done telling it," he replied simply.

"No, I haven't heard the end yet. What happens? Do they get their happily ever after?" Stephanie asked impatiently. And she did want to know how this would end. Because as of now, she wasn't so sure. Despite Paul's efforts to tell her everything would be alright, she couldn't help but think otherwise. The wedding was creeping up on them faster than they'd expected—only three weeks away.

"The ending is still a work in progress. But I do have a pretty good idea of what happens. Basically, they run away together," Paul said softly. Stephanie frowned. This was the first time Paul had mentioned the idea of running away to her, even though she knew he would sooner or later.

"I wish it were that simple."

"It can be, if you want," he shrugged.

"Paul, what about your family? They love you. Even if this place doesn't mean much to me, this is where you grew up. You were a little boy once here. This is your home. I can't let you throw all that away." Stephanie meant every word she said. But maybe her meaning went a little deeper than that. Maybe it was her who couldn't leave this place. She wasn't ready to face the big bad world just yet.

"Steph, my home is wherever you are. And if that's a million miles away, so be it," Paul stated seriously. He took her hands into his. "Can you at least promise me you'll consider the idea?"

Stephanie nodded. Maybe she'd warm up to the idea with time.

"On one condition," Stephanie whispered.

"Anything."

"Stay with me until I fall asleep," she requested. Paul thought she'd never ask. Because quite frankly, he was planning stay with her anyways. And always.

"Of course," Paul whispered. A smile crossed her face. Paul was all she needed. Maybe running away with him was the answer to all their problems. But where would they go? She figured it didn't really matter, as long as he was there.

Paul sat there, almost in a daze as he watched her lay peacefully. How was it possible for one woman to be so breathtakingly beautiful? He slipped his fingers through hers. When he felt her squeeze his gently, that told him she wasn't asleep yet.

Careful not to startle her, Paul leaned his head down towards Stephanie. He placed a gentle kiss to her temple before moving his lips down to her ear.

"Marry me."

Stephanie's eyes opened wide. She didn't think words could ever be enough to respond to what Paul had just said. Instead, she pulled his face closer to hers and kissed his lips softly. She inhaled his scent and could feel his stubbly beard tickling her chin. Once they broke apart, she just held his face in her hands for a moment.

"Yes."

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** Trailer for this story - there's a link on my fanfic profile!:) Please watch.**


	12. Helpless

** First of all, I posted a trailer for this story on YouTube! So I've been trying to get that set up (which is why I'm slacking on story updates—sorry). But now it's finally up! There's a link on my bio page. Sadly, you can only view it on a desktop (no mobile) because the song's copyrighted. So check that out—leave a comment or review. Let me know if you want me to make trailers for any of my other stories.**

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For once, Stephanie didn't feel like hibernating in her room during the morning hours. She didn't even wait for Izzy to arrive to do her hair and makeup. She decided to just wing it herself, and was surprised at what a good job she did. Her long brown hair was left straight, and she clipped a part of it to the side. Her makeup was mostly natural colors—nothing to extraordinary.

Something happened when she looked in the mirror though. Stephanie saw herself for the first time. It wasn't just because of the way she looked. She'd seen herself with no makeup and messy hair plenty of times, but this was different. She felt different.

Stephanie pushed the desire to just wear sweat pants aside. Her parents would have a fit (if they weren't going to already). Instead, she picked out a cream colored dress that came just below her knees. The straps were thin and the waist was somewhat tight, while the bottom was loose. The dress was a gift from Marissa for her sixteenth birthday. To complete her outfit, she wore a pair of nude flats.

For some reason, Stephanie couldn't sit still. Actually, she knew exactly what the reason was. Paul. And the last words he uttered before she drifted off into a peaceful slumber. _Marry me._ The butterflies in her stomach were dancing at the memory. Although it was a tad informal, the proposal was just…perfect. It was spontaneous, unexpected. Unlike Kurt's proposal. She swore they had to rehearse the thing at least twenty times before he did it in public. But she rid her mind of all thoughts of that awful fiancée of hers.

Happily, Stephanie strutted down the corridors of the castle and into the dining hall, where Kurt, his father, and her father were all eating breakfast. All three of them just stared at her. Eyes wide. Jaws dropped. All these eyes focused on her started making her uncomfortable. She awkwardly approached the long table and took a seat next to Kurt.

"Stephanie, what the hell are you wearing?" Vince demanded to know. "And where's your makeup? And why is does your hair look like _that?_"

Stephanie's eyes were the ones to widen now. Did her father really care about all that? The old Stephanie would have burst into tears at his harsh words. But she didn't have Paul back then. Paul gave her this ounce of strength and bravery, just enough to be herself.

"What's wrong with all this?" Stephanie asked innocently. And she really was curious to know. Kurt's father was slightly shaking his head in disapproval, while Kurt uneasily watched the situation unfold.

"I think a better question would be: what isn't wrong? Stephanie, you look like an embarrassment to the family. A reject. A filthy peasant." Vince said the words with such disgust as he wrinkled his nose. "We don't associate ourselves with peasants, Stephanie. Do you understand?"

That's when she saw him. He was leaning against the doorway far behind where her father and Kurt's father were sitting. Paul was slightly smiling at her, but she was no fool. His eyes told tales his mouth wouldn't dare to tell. He winked at her and pointed at himself, before disappearing into the next room. What did that wink even mean? His gestures didn't make any sense.

Until now, Stephanie hadn't even realized that her father was still waiting for an answer. Quite frankly, she didn't feel like trying to remember what the question was, so she nodded anyways.

Was Paul telling her to come clean about them? She could never do that. It would put him in an unfathomable amount of danger. Then she realized that Paul wasn't referring to himself when he pointed. He was pointing to his heart.

"Listen to your heart, not your head…" Stephanie muttered under her breath. Luckily, she said it so quiet that no one heard.

"Stephanie, your father's right," Kurt said, looking between Stephanie and Vince. "You really should wear something more…appropriate." If Stephanie wasn't pissed before, now she was. She could understand her father reprimanding her. But her fiancée? The one who was supposedly in love with her? "And some more makeup on that face of yours would only do the rest of us good."

"Excuse me?" she asked in disbelief, rising from her chair. So now her clothes were embarrassing and her face was ugly. The worst part was that Kurt's dad remained silent. So did her dad. It was good to see everyone at the table agreed with one another about the way she looked. Fuming, Stephanie turned around and headed for the door that had Paul vanished through.

"And where do you think you're headed off to, young lady?" Vince's voice boomed.

"I'm going—"

"No. How about I tell you where you're going? You, my dear, are going to march back up to your room, and find something more elegant to wear. And tell that damn stylist of yours she better clean up that mess," Vince said, pointing his finger in the direction of her face. "Or she can kiss her silly little job goodbye."

"Oh, and don't forget about the rehearsal dinner," Kurt added. He honestly couldn't get more annoying. Just when Stephanie had enough of her father's lectures, Kurt would always throw in some smartass comment just to annoy her. She was sure of it.

"What rehearsal dinner?" Stephanie asked.

"For the wedding, of course!" Kurt's father answered. It was the first time he'd spoken up since she'd interrupted their breakfast. It was also the first time anyone had brought up a rehearsal dinner. What was there even to rehearse? The part of the wedding where she stabbed herself?

"Right. Well, okay," Stephanie replied uninterested. Her father shot her a glare, before she turned and exited through the door. This was going to be a long day.

Stephanie let out a small sigh when she found that the room was empty. Paul was gone, but who could blame him? If she were in his shoes, she would have bolted the moment Vince raised his voice. Hell, she wished she'd done that in her own shoes.

After checking some of the rooms in the castle for Paul, she gave up. Right now, she just didn't have that kind of energy. He would turn up sooner or later. He always did.

The stresses in her life were just piling up by the second. Pretty soon, her head would explode from all of this. Stephanie needed fresh air. And fast. Her head was growing dizzy and her stomach was overwhelmed by a wave of nausea. Unsure what to do, she darted outside. Instantly, Stephanie felt relief as the cool breeze brushed against her exposed skin.

Standing still wasn't helping though. So she decided to walk. It kept her mind and body distracted. Plus, it was helping her forget about the recent altercation with her father and fiancée. Damn, she had to stop calling him that. Paul was her fiancée now. Even if no one knew. Even if he didn't get down on one knee. Even if he didn't give her a ring. In her heart, Paul was the one.

It wasn't until she pushed her thoughts aside, that Stephanie realized where she was headed. The lake. This was the direction it was in. She was listening to her heart. Now anxious to get there, she quickened her pace, until she came across the wooden post. That horse was there again…it was Paul's horse! That meant he was already here.

"I should listen to my heart more often," Steph chuckled to herself. As she passed by the horse, she lightly stroked its side with her fingertips. It started nodding its head, which only made Stephanie smile even more. The horse was already more intelligent than her dad or Kurt ever would be.

Everything was just as green as Stephanie remembered—maybe even greener. Every inch of the ground seemed to be beaming with life. The hike up the mountain was bringing so many memories back into her mind. It was hard to believe that when Paul took her up here, they hadn't proclaimed their love for one another yet. But that didn't stop Paul from being flirtatious.

"_Beautiful, isn't it?" Paul asked._

_ "It's the most beautiful thing ever."_

_ "Correction. It's the second most beautiful thing ever," Paul said with a smile. Stephanie looked down and blushed. _

Their conversation was still fresh in her mind. If she really tried, Stephanie could probably recall every word he said to her that way. In that perfect, husky voice of his…

Her thoughts were broken up by a low growling sound coming from nearby. It sent a shiver down her spine. Now she remembered why she was hesitant to ever go on this hike in the first place. But Paul had convinced her that he'd protect her from anything. Now Stephanie didn't have Paul. It was just her. And encountering a wild animal all alone was likely to have an unpleasant ending.

She heard the noise again. But it didn't sound much like a growl—it was more of a moan. A wince of pain. A cry for help.

There was a motionless body lying face down on the ground, slightly concealed by a bush ahead of her. Forgetting all of her fears, Stephanie sprinted towards it.

"Paul!" she gasped, immediately noticing his messy golden locks. No. This wasn't happening. It couldn't be. The nausea was starting to return.

"St-Steph?" he winced, trying to pick his head up to see her. Stephanie held back the tears. She needed to stay calm if she wanted to help Paul. Careful not to knock into him, Stephanie kneeled down next to Paul's head and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Shhh…I'm here, baby," Stephanie whispered. She'd never actually said those words to someone. She never would have thought to say them to someone, but Paul always said that to her when she needed to be soothed. "What happened?"

"Help m-me… r-roll over," Paul whispered helplessly. Stephanie was glad Paul didn't see the petrified look on her face. Now she had to roll him over, without hurting him. Gently, she positioned her hands under his body and tried to push him. Being gentle would get her nowhere. The man was built like a bull and he was dead weight as of now. In one strong push, she was able to get him lying on his back, but refused to let her eyes see his body. "How b-bad… is it?"

Stephanie removed her hands her eyes and directed her attention to his abdomen.

Blood. Blood everywhere. His white t-shirt was torn up, and she could barely see the tan skin of his chest. It looked like a bullet had pierced his chest or something. The smell of blood made her nose scrunch up. It was like using an inhalant that made you feel dizzy in between your eyes.

"Um, Paul? Oh, God. What happened? What do I do?" Stephanie panicked. Paul winced again.

"Snake. Bite. Poison. Can't. Move." His words came out one at a time. In between each one, he looked like he was trying to regain his composure to speak.

Snakes. Paul had warned her about them. He'd been bitten before, but obviously it was never like this. Paul was the type of guy who could handle anything on his own and always felt useless when he had to ask for help. Stephanie slipped the part of his shirt that wasn't torn and covered in blood off of his back.

"Hold still, sweetie," Stephanie instructed, biting down on her bottom lip nervously. She held the white piece of cloth up to his chest and started blotting at the pools of blood. It worked until the material could no longer absorb anymore blood. "Shit," she muttered under her breath. If she could see the wound, maybe she could do something to stop the venom from spreading.

She looked up to his face now. His eyes were starting to roll back. She was losing him.

"Paul, stay with me! Where's the bite?" Stephanie screamed. No answer. "Paul!" She pressed her ear to his chest and was somewhat relieved to hear the thumping of his heart. She had to find the wound. It was her only chance now. She wouldn't have time to go for help. And she wasn't leaving Paul alone for that matter.

Stephanie ripped the top layer of her cotton dress off. It was much more effective than using scraps of Paul's shirt. It had absorbed almost all of the blood on his abdomen.

There it was. Under his left rib cage, she spotted the two punctured marks on his inflamed skin. It was a good thing she'd skipped breakfast, or it would have been coming up right about now.

The bite was still wet with blood. Cautiously, she moved her ear to his chest again. His breathing was quieter, but his heart beat was still there. Stephanie couldn't lose it now. It was her only hope. Even if it would be the most disgusting thing she'd done ever, it would be worth it. She wouldn't let Paul die. Not here. Not like this. After whispering a silent prayer, she closed her eyes and plugged her nose with her fingertips.

Slowly, Stephanie lowered her lips down to the open wound.

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**Let me apologize here for anyone traumatized by anything from this chapter. Before writing this I had to do some research on snake bites/wounds and how to treat them, but I'm still not entirely sure. Please don't use any of this information to treat a real snake bite. Ask a professional first. I'll try to update soon. Reviews please(: **


	13. Role Reversal

**Hey everyone:) Thanks for reviewing my stories and watching the videos. It means a lot! I have several chapters for several stories started as of now, along with some new stuff in the works. Special thanks to McMahonHelmsleyEraFan for giving great feedback. Enjoy this chapter (even though it's on the shorter side) and let me know what ya think! **

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"Steph."

The hushed, raspy voice seemed too real, yet so unreal at the same time. It was like being in a dream—the good kind of dream that follows a nightmare.

"Stephanie?"

That voice again, calling her name. He was pleading for her, but Stephanie was afraid to open her eyes. What if he wasn't there? Perhaps she was hallucinating. It seemed like a reasonable possibility considering her state of mind. Yes, that had to be it.

Then she felt his fingers lightly grip her shoulder, snapping her back into reality. She'd recognized his touch. It was gentle, but for some reason it sent a tingling sensation throughout her body. So this was real.

Her eyelids blinked involuntarily a few times before her vision fully returned.

Those hazel eyes. They were the first thing she saw. And they were staring right back into hers, obviously flooded with concern and exhaustion. He was lying next to her, propped up on his side. Paul was alive.

After Stephanie had sucked what she assumed to be most of the venom out of his bloodstream, everything turned black. Now so many questions were running through her head at once, but she decided against interrogating Paul. He'd been through enough for one day. Plus, something about him seemed off. His muscles seemed weak and his normally tan skin was now very pale. But she was just content to see his eyes open.

"You're alive…" Stephanie whispered, crawling over to his side. Paul smiled as she interlocked her fingers with his. His smile quickly faded though, as Stephanie flinched upon touching his skin. "Paul, you're burning up!" she observed. Her jaw dropped a bit as she noticed the rest of his body. There was a deep red gash above his stomach, which was likely the source of all the blood she had tried to clear away. At the time, Stephanie even thought it was a bit peculiar that a snake bite would cause so much bleeding. But now things were starting to add up.

"I feel dizzy," Paul whispered helplessly. Stephanie felt the panic in her chest start to emerge again. They couldn't just lay here in the woods. She had to take him to seek professional medical attention. But that brought about another conflict. Stephanie couldn't just bring him to any hospital where the doctors would recognize her. It would create too many suspicious, such as why they were alone in the woods together in the first place.

"Can you stand at all?" Stephanie asked, with little hope.

"Haven't tried," Paul replied weakly. Stephanie touched his cheek with her cool fingertips and knew he had to try now. For her. "But I will if you help me." She nodded, while grabbing hold of both his hands. With Stephanie's aid, Paul progressed to a sitting up position. From there, she helped him stand up on his own feet. Balancing was quite difficult due to the dizziness in his head, but he was able to manage by leaning against Stephanie. After this, he definitely needed to make things up to her. She was on the verge of a nervous breakdown for the second time today. Not to mention this was also the second time she'd saved his life.

"We can do this. One step at a time," Stephanie assured him. Deep down, she was reassuring herself as well. Everything would be okay.

Paul didn't have energy to talk, so he gave a simple nod. His arms were currently wrapped around Stephanie's shoulders, while her arm was around his waist for additional support. They steadily made their way down the mountain. Fortunately, they hadn't been too far from the bottom.

Once they'd successfully reached the bottom, Stephanie assisted Paul in getting on top of the horse. Surprisingly, he was able to function pretty well with his upper body to pull himself up. It was his legs that were weak. Stephanie climbed up so that she was sitting behind Paul and slipped her arms passed him to grip the reigns.

It was hard for her to see where she was going over Paul, but she couldn't risk Paul sitting in the back and possibly toppling over.

"Where are we going?" Paul asked curiously. It seemed they were headed in a direction where there weren't any hospitals. It seemed closer to his parents' house but surely Stephanie wasn't taking him there.

"To my brother's house," she replied, projecting her voice over the sound of the horse's footsteps and the rustling wind.

"Why?"

"Shane's wife is a doctor. She can get you an antivenin from their house and possibly a blood transfusion. It's too risky to go to a public hospital where people will start asking us questions," Stephanie explained.

Paul nodded, quite impressed himself. Stephanie really was a smart girl, constantly thinking ahead and considering all obstacles. "Beauty and brains," he mumbled softly. Instead of blushing, Stephanie smiled at his thoughtful comment. At least he was more alert now.

* * *

"He'll be okay, Steph," Shane whispered, brushing his lips against his sister's forehead.

"I'm just worried," Stephanie responded, leaning her head onto Shane's shoulder. Shane's wife, Marissa, was currently tending to Paul's wounds in a different room. At least Stephanie knew he would be in good hands. This left the siblings with an opportunity to talk for a while.

"And you have every right to be."

"I love him, Shane," Stephanie said quietly. She was almost awaiting Shane's surprised reaction, but it never came.

"I know."

"How?" Stephanie asked, lifting her head up to look into his deep brown eyes.

"Big brothers just know these things," Shane chuckled. His sister smiled at him and returned her head to its comfortable position on his shoulder. "Just like I know Paul will be okay."

"I hope so."

"You saved him, you know. That's what Marissa said. If you hadn't sucked most of the venom out, Paul's body would have shut down and his heart would have failed. Plus, you practically half-carried him down the mountain to safety," Shane stated. It was the first time that all this had actually dawned on Stephanie. Maybe she was stronger than she thought. If she had the strength to do all that, then why didn't she have the strength to tell her parents about Paul? Or even run away with him…

As she looked into her brother's kind eyes, Stephanie knew _this_ was why she couldn't leave this place. It was home to people she loved with her whole heart. Shane. Marissa. Izzy. And Paul would have to cope with missing his family. They'd already been upset about him not visiting very often. Stephanie couldn't imagine how heartbroken they'd be if their only son left forever.

"I love you, Shane," Stephanie whispered, on the verge of tears. If by some rare chance this was the last conversation she had with her brother, she wanted to make every moment count.

"I love you, too," he whispered, pulling her into an embrace. Shane figured she was just an emotional wreck from the days' events. But it was so much more than that.

A few more moments passed before Marissa reappeared in front of the sofa they were sitting on. A smile crossed her face as Stephanie's head immediately jolted up.

"Paul's perfectly fine," Marissa proclaimed, already know Stephanie would ask. "I gave him an antivenin which seems to be working. From what he told me, most of the blood he lost was due to falling into some rocks after encountering the snake. Luckily, I had some O negative in the basement which I gave him. His wounds are all bandaged up and should heal completely within a couple weeks." Stephanie stood up and flung her arms around her sister-in-law's neck, pulling her in for a tight hug.

"Thank you so much," she whispered. Marissa brought her hand up to Stephanie cheek.

"Of course. Sweetheart, any time you need something, don't be afraid to stop by," she said softly, glancing at Shane who was nodding in agreement.

"Yeah, Steph. Don't be a stranger," Shane added, which earned a laugh from both girls.

"Oh, and Stephanie?" Marissa began. "A certain someone has been asking for you for quite a while now," she informed her with a wink. A flash of excitement crossed Stephanie's face. "He's in the guest room."

Stephanie had been here several times so she was pretty familiar with the house. After nearly sprinting through a couple corridors, she approached the guest room. The door wasn't closed, but it was pulled over all the way. She lightly tapped her knuckle on the wood before letting herself in.

Paul was stretched out on the bed, wearing a navy blue t-shirt and black track pants. Stephanie guessed they belonged to Shane. They suited him much better than the torn, bloody garments he was previously wearing.

"Hey," Stephanie greeted him, as she pulled a chair up next to the bed. His eyes were focused on her every movement.

"Hey yourself." Paul owed everything to this woman. She was the reason he still walked on the planet, whether she would admit it or not. He stared at her, mesmerized by her beauty.

"You scared me to death, Paul," Stephanie stated. She was done trying to be strong. She was done trying to hold back her tears. So she didn't. She let them fall down her face like rain from the sky. Instantly, Paul slipped his fingers through hers and kissed her knuckles.

"It's okay, Steph. We're together and that's all that matters," he said in his famous soothing voice.

"Look at me, Paul. I'm pathetic. You're the one who was attacked by a snake and almost died. Yet, I'm the one having a breakdown here," Stephanie sobbed as she scooted closer to Paul.

"You are not pathetic, Stephanie McMahon," Paul declared seriously. His firm tone caused Stephanie to snap out of her negative thoughts. Now he had her full attention. "You are the most…wonderful, beautiful, funny, brave, intelligent woman I've ever met. And you're my hero."

Instead of replying with words, Stephanie leaned down to press her lips into his. It felt like forever since their last kiss. When they pulled apart, Stephanie leaned her head against Paul's neck just inhaling his scent for a moment. He failed to stifle a yawn, which caught Stephanie's attention.

"Go to sleep, baby," she whispered, lightly touching her lips to his temple. A smirk crossed Paul's face at her suggestion.

"I'm not tired," he whined, obviously mocking Stephanie. He couldn't even count the number of times Stephanie had uttered those words to him in the middle of the night, despite her obvious tiredness. She lifted her head up and raised her eyebrows in amusement at his protest.

"So it's a role reversal now, huh Levesque?"

"Call it what you want," Paul said with a shrug.

"Well two can play at that game," Stephanie began, clearing her throat. "Paul, you've had a long day and a little sleep won't do you any harm." Paul chuckled at her impression of him. Damn, she was spot on. But he could do better.

"Only if you hold my hand," he replied sweetly. After a quick eye roll, Stephanie let her fingers slip through his once again. "_And_ don't forget the bedtime story." That's when Steph completely lost it and burst out into uncontrollable laughter. After gaining her composure, she jutted out her bottom lip.

"Am I really this high maintenance?" she asked with a frown.

"Why yes you are. You're lucky I love you so much that I put up with it," Paul answered jokingly. Stephanie lightly smacked his shoulder.

"That makes two of us."

"Plus, I need to be extra nice to you now, since the score's 2-1," Paul explained. Stephanie looked at him curiously.

"What are you talking about?"

"You've saved me twice, and I saved you once," he replied.

"Well, if you really want to even out the score, you can revive me after my dad murders me for missing the wedding rehearsal," Stephanie replied, with a somewhat pleased smile. That was one good thing that came out of this day. She didn't have to attend some practice ceremony for four hours, but she would surely receive the consequences.

"You've got yourself a deal, McMahon." And like all good dealmakers, the couple sealed it with a kiss.


	14. Friends By Fate

**This chapter's pretty long… Sorry to those of you asking me to update other stories. I was originally just jotting down some ideas for this chapter and well… it turned into this lol. Hope you enjoy. I got a trailer up for Life with the Levesques if anyone's interested. Give me feedback please and let me know if there's anything you want to see in the upcoming chapters.**

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"What the hell were you thinking? Do you have any idea what kind of situation you put the rest of us in?" Vince shouted furiously, causing Stephanie to take a few steps back. "Last night, we had to find some way to host a wedding rehearsal _without_ the bride! And now you stand before me with absolutely no explanation for your absence!"

"Does it really matter what my explanation is? No matter what, you're still going to punish me," Stephanie stated, uninterestedly. She'd recently learned that fighting back wasn't the answer. Instead, Stephanie acted bored with whatever her father was saying to her. And it was definitely getting under his skin.

"You're damn right about that," Vince muttered. The pair turned their eyes when the sound of footsteps echoed throughout the main room of the castle. Stephanie swore her skin was crawling at the sight of him.

"There's my beautiful bride!" Kurt exclaimed, as he pulled her in for a hug. Stephanie had given up on pretending to love Kurt. It was much too difficult. Why had she even started the phony act in the first place? After all, Stephanie technically didn't _have _to do anything. She learned that from the best. Kurt pulled away and directed his attention towards Vince.

"Stephanie, you are so lucky to have a man like Kurt as your future husband. I mean, who else would put up with you? After all the shit you've put Kurt through, he still remains loyal to you and this love." Or Kurt was loyal to the power he would gain as an heir to the throne. But it's not like her father would ever mention that. Or anyone for that matter.

Kurt nodded proudly, smoothing back his dark strands of hair. It took every ounce of strength she had to not slap that stupid little smirk off his face. Stephanie was sure that when her father picked out the man she would marry, he picked the one she would despise the most. Mission accomplished.

"It's my pleasure, Dad," Kurt replied. Since when did Kurt start addressing her father like that? "When two people truly love each other, they can last through anything—even if one of the people is always making mistakes and disappointing the family."

"Excellent point, my boy," Vince said, playfully slapping him on the back.

"Ahem."

The trio turned around until meeting eyes with none other than Stephanie's person bodyguard. He looked so professional, dressed in his black button down shirt and matching slacks. Only she knew of the scars covered by the dark material. His hair was pulled back into a neat ponytail. Stephanie had seen him like this many times, but it was just weird having her father and Kurt both in the room. It made Paul seem more like an employee. However, that didn't stop her knees from going weak when he shot her a smile.

"Can I help you?" Vince asked irritably.

"Yes, sir. Jessica isn't present today, and she normally gives me a copy of Stephanie's schedule. So I was wondering if you could provide me with that," Paul explained. This was a side of him Stephanie had never seen. Most of the time, it never even crossed her mind that Paul worked for her family.

"That won't be necessary," Vince replied monotonously. Both Paul and Stephanie shot him looks of confusion. But Kurt looked like he was anticipating what would come out of Vince's mouth next. "Because your services are no longer needed here, Mr. Levesque."

"What? Why?"

And it wasn't Paul who'd asked the questions. It was Stephanie.

Stephanie looked to Paul for some kind of help, but he just stood there calmly, watching the situation unfold. It was evident that she was the only one getting worked about this.

"Stephanie, you'll be married before you know it. You won't need someone to watch after you all the time. You'll have Kurt," Vince began, gesturing to his soon-to-be son-in-law.

"But that's still over two weeks away…" Stephanie pointed out, letting her voice die down as she spoke. She was getting irritated at the fact that Paul still hadn't spoken up. Did he not care about getting to see her every moment?

"And until then, you will be extremely busy with last minute wedding preparations. You won't even have time to think about wandering off. Besides, I'm sure Paul has a thousand other things he'd rather do than be stuck babysitting a troublesome, little princess such as yourself," Vince said with a smirk. Paul's expression shifted at that last remark.

"Actually, it was wonderful getting to know Stephanie," Paul insisted with an honest smile. He held out his hand for Stephanie to shake, but she just stared at it. "Goodbye." What was he doing?

But looking into Paul's hazel eyes was enough of an explanation for his actions. He was giving her the same look he did when calling her his hero. Despite her previous feelings of doubt, Stephanie firmly shook his hand and whispered a goodbye. Vince and Kurt watched in disgust. Who the hell did Paul Levesque think he was? His family owned a farm, for Christ's sake.

"Now go on. Get out of here you filthy piece of scum," Vince ordered, earning a nod in agreement from Kurt. Stephanie rolled her eyes despite the rage and sadness she was being overwhelmed with.

* * *

Lazily, Stephanie dragged her feet up the stairs and headed for her room. It would be weird not having Paul by her side all the time. No one would be there to tuck her in and stay with her until she fell asleep. No one would sneak her away for the day, while she was supposed to be attending some public event.

As she solemnly entered her room, something peculiar caught Stephanie's attention. Sitting there right on the pink comforter of her bed was a piece of white paper folded in half. Curiously, she opened it, revealing a short message neatly scribbled in black ink.

_Still up for meeting my family today, McMahon? You know where I live. xoxo_

Stephanie's lips curved into a smile as she re-read his note. Paul must have snuck back into her room while she was at lunch with her parents. She'd completely forgotten about meeting his family. It was definitely something she'd been looking forward to since Paul first suggested it. Hopefully any doubts his family had about Stephanie would go away when they saw how much she loved Paul

"The old man's gonna kill me for sneaking out again," Stephanie chuckled to herself. Because that's what this whole thing had become. A joke. Did Vince not understand that he could no longer punish her anymore than he already had?

Stephanie decided she would take up Paul on his offer and head over to his house. Certainly, she wouldn't be missing out on anything at the castle.

As Stephanie dug through her closet for something to wear, she felt the nausea creep back into the pit of her stomach. No, she couldn't get sick today. Not when she was going to meet Paul's family. This had to run smoothly if she wanted their blessing. Hopefully whatever virus she had picked up would hold off for a little bit longer. Maybe it would last long enough so they would be forced to postpone the wedding.

Cautious not to walk too fast, Stephanie slid open the window next to her bed. Like last time, the cool air helped her stomach settle and even calmed her nerves a bit. Feeling better, she returned to picking out an outfit. Stephanie decided against wearing a long ball gown. The last thing she needed was to give the impression that she was a stuck-up snob, much like the other members of her family.

"Need a hand?" a voice asked from behind her.

"Izzy!" Stephanie squealed, literally jumping into her for a hug. "You have no idea how happy I am to see you right now."

"You look a little lost," Izzy joked, as she stepped in front of Stephanie's walk-in closet. "It looks like a tornado hit."

"I'm meeting Paul's family today," Stephanie informed her. Izzy's expression softened at the frantic look on Stephanie's face.

"I see. And you need normal clothes to wear, right?" she guessed.

"Yeah. And a little advice wouldn't hurt either."

"Wait here," Izzy instructed as she skipped out of Stephanie's room. Stephanie sure was grateful to have a friend like Izzy. Although her father wasn't too fond of her stylist, Linda found Izzy to be quite helpful when it came to their difficult daughter.

Izzy returned with a light teal dress flung over her shoulder. She held it out in front of her for Stephanie to examine. Its straps were pretty thin and there were strings in the back, which would obviously be tied into a bow on her lower back. Overall, it was simple—the way Stephanie liked things.

"It's…perfect. Where did you find it?" Stephanie asked, moving closer so she could run her fingers down the soft material.

"It's mine, but I'm giving it to you," Izzy said with a small smile.

"Are you sure?"

"I have no reason to wear it anymore," Izzy said with a small shrug. There was almost sadness in her voice. As Stephanie put on the dress, she kept feeling the urge to ask Izzy more about it. Perhaps there was some meaning behind the dress that she was concealing. Izzy started to do Stephanie's hair and make-up—making it very natural of course.

"So what's the story behind the dress?" Stephanie asked, a bit reluctantly as she watched Izzy's reflection in the mirror. She stopped braiding Stephanie's hair down the side, and looked up.

"It's not something I should tell you," Izzy replied simply. Stephanie felt the curiosity building up in the back of her mind as she watched Izzy's fingers start braiding her hair again.

"We're best friends, right?"

"Of course, Steph. But—" Izzy began, but her protest was cut off by Stephanie's voice.

"So therefore, we do not have any secrets between us," Stephanie confirmed. Izzy was about to respond, but didn't when she heard Stephanie clear her throat. "Paul and I had sex," she admitted bluntly. "Your turn." Izzy's eyes widened.

"What? And you didn't tell me? Oh my God! Steph, when did this happen? How? Where?" Izzy said, quickly finishing off the braid so she could listen to Stephanie give details.

"Keep your voice down. I'd prefer if the whole world didn't know about this. Specifically my parents," Stephanie muttered. "And, it was that day Paul ran off and I went to look for him. Somehow, I ended up at his house. We talked, and one thing led to another and… what can I say? We were both ready."

"I'm impressed. You said all that without blushing at all," Izzy teased. Stephanie shrugged. Surprisingly, it wasn't at all awkward to talk about. Steph wasn't ashamed of the fact that she and Paul were in love, and they could express that love in whichever ways they chose to.

"Now that I've just told you about my sex life, it's your turn to spill, missy," Stephanie reminded her.

"Fine," Izzy agreed. It wasn't worth arguing with Stephanie. Izzy sighed as she pulled up a chair so she could sit face to face with her best friend. "Do you know my last name?"

Stephanie shook her head guiltily. That was a bit odd. They'd known each other for quite a while now and she still didn't even know her full name. It just…never was an important topic they discussed.

"Don't sweat it, Steph. My name is Isabel Ariella Martinez. And our lives are a lot more alike than you might think," Izzy said softly. Stephanie decided to hold her questions until the end of the story. She really wanted to listen to what Izzy had to say. "I was born in a small town in Spain. My mother—well, she died after giving birth to me. I never knew her, so it was always me and my father. It just so happened that my father was the king of Spain. Much like you, I was destined to be queen after he passed on. But I had no interest. Being a princess just… wasn't meant for me. When I turned 14, I left the country right away. I got on the next ship to America and started my life over with the name Izzy Martin. It was difficult at first—being away from my home. My father wasn't evil so to speak; he just always had these big expectations for me. But I had other plans. I did most of my schooling in the States, but finished college here. Remember that exchange program I told you about?" Stephanie nodded. "Well, I decided to stay here after it was over. And here we are now."

"What about the dress?" Stephanie asked, still trying to absorb the things her friend had revealed to her.

"It's the only thing I have left from when I lived in Spain. I guess I've just held onto it all these years, as a way to remember that part of my life," Izzy explained. "But that's over now. Like I said before, I really have no reason to keep it. It's been six years."

"Do you ever regret leaving?" Stephanie asked. Now, she could finally start to open up about the dilemma she was facing—with Paul wanting them to run away together.

"No, but it's just weird to think about, you know? My life could have turned out so differently. And when I met you, it was like déjà vu for me. I realized you were just like me, stuck in a world you don't belong in. Always miserable. But you're lucky, Steph."

"I am?"

"Yes. You've found someone who loves you more than life itself. He can help you be free from it all," Izzy whispered with a smile. And Stephanie was grateful for that. The moment Paul came into her life, she was no longer depressed. That desire to reach death as quickly as possible subsided.

"Do you think I should run away with him, Iz?"

"I think you should do what your heart tells you to do."

"But my heart always complicates things," Stephanie sighed. "Won't you miss me if I leave?" Izzy nodded slowly.

"Of course. But fate made us friends for a reason, Steph. The distance between us won't change that."

"And what about Shane? And Marissa?" Stephanie asked. Her brother and sister-in-law were such a huge part of her life, ever since she was a little girl. Leaving them would be next to impossible for heart to handle.

"Stephanie, remember this. The people who really love you want you to live a happy life, even if that means they're not a part of it." Izzy seriously needed to be a therapist or something. Talking to her was like talking to the voice of both wisdom and reason.

"Thanks," Stephanie said quietly, as she pulled her best friend in for a lengthy embrace. When they broke apart, Steph glanced at the clock on her nightstand. "I should start heading over to Paul's house." She headed for the door, but Izzy's voice stopped her.

"I need you to make me a promise, Steph," Izzy requested.

"Anything."

"If you do decide to run away, don't leave without saying goodbye to me, okay?"

"I wouldn't dream of it," Stephanie murmured with a smile, as she slipped out the door.

* * *

**In Chapter 15, Steph is gonna finally meet Paul's fam. Should be interesting. Teehee. xD **


	15. Memory Lane

**This chapter's for McMahonHelmsleyEraFan after I persistently bugged her to post the end of Duality and asked her a billion questions about MPD! :) Hope you all enjoy-sorry for errors. It's late at night. I'll fix em tomorrow.**

* * *

Stephanie slowly approached Paul's small house on the left side of the deserted, narrow path. Unlike her last visit, she was actually aware of the fact that it belonged to him. Stephanie was still trying to fathom how the hell she ended up there anyways. It was like… she needed to be there—like some magnetic force was reeling her in.

Any residual feelings of frustration Stephanie had felt towards Paul earlier in the morning had long vanished by now. Although remaining silent during his dismissal, Paul still made a point to stand up to her father by countering the remark he made about spending time with Stephanie.

_Besides, I'm sure Paul has a thousand other things he'd rather do than be stuck babysitting a troublesome, little princess such as yourself._

Her father's words still rang fresh in her ears. Stephanie shook her head, remembering how Paul had reacted. To her amazement, he'd kept his cool and replied in a genuinely polite manner.

"You gonna stand out on the street all day, McMahon?"

Speak of the devil. Stephanie's head shot up vigorously at the sound of his voice. Slightly blushing, she scurried to the front door where Paul was standing. She'd been so wrapped up in her own thoughts and didn't even bother paying attention to where she was.

"Don't try and hide those beet red cheeks from me," Paul teased, still leaning against the door frame with his arms crossed over his chest. Playfully, Stephanie shoved him in the chest.

"I haven't even stepped inside and I've already been the victim of two jokes," Stephanie whined, letting her hands wander from his chest so they could wrap around his neck. He shrugged, still amused with himself. Well, Stephanie could be just as irritating when she pleased. Leaning forward, she moved her mouth to his for a lingering kiss, which she cut off as he started to moan.

"What was that for?" Paul snapped, obviously annoyed.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Stephanie replied innocently, batting her long, dark eyelashes. It was the kind of innocence that only she could pull off. "Now get your ass inside. We don't need to give the neighbors a show." Paul giggled as Stephanie dragged him by the wrist into the living room, locking the front door behind her.

"Hmmm… the princess is taking control?" Paul asked wiggling his eyebrows seductively. Stephanie smirked as she pulled his body closer to hers.

"I don't know," Stephanie shrugged. "Maybe there's just something about being alone in your house with you that turns me on." Paul was biting back a surprised smile, flashing back to their experience here just three nights ago.

Even Stephanie was bit taken aback at the way she was talking. She sounded so… experienced—as if she'd done this many times before! Most girls her age were probably studying for exams at this hour or kissing their boyfriends at most. Yet somehow, Steph was here, trying to seduce a man seven years older than her. Man, she lived in one crazy, mixed-up world.

As Stephanie felt Paul start to suck at the column of her throat, she pulled back, trying to resist her longing to take things further.

"Hey!" Paul groaned. "I didn't even make fun of you this time!"

"I know. But I want to make a good impression on your family. And showing up hours after the scheduled time looking like I was mauled by a bear won't help that," Stephanie explained, which earned a laugh from Paul. She was right. Plus, Paul _really_ wasn't prepared to discuss his sex life with his family. Well, it wasn't much of a life—just one experience. But still.

"I guess you have a point," Paul sighed. Stephanie smiled victoriously. It was rare that someone in her family ever admitted she was right. No matter what she did or how she acted, Stephanie was always wrong. Even the way she dressed was wrong.

* * *

"Ready?" Paul asked as they finally reached the front door of his parents' home. Stephanie tapped her foot nervously as she sent a quick nod in his direction. Despite her previous excitement, her nerves were now building up by the second. Paul would never fully understand how much meeting his family meant to her. Their acceptance would be…wonderful. There was really no other way to describe it.

Instead of knocking, Paul opened the door itself. Stephanie was a little shocked that they left it unlocked. Maybe things were different in this part of the country than they were by the more noble area.

"After you, my lady," Paul offered, making room for her to enter first.

"Such a gentleman," Stephanie muttered, slightly relieved that a stampede of his family members didn't come charging at her. In fact, there was no one even present in what she assumed to be the living room. Much like Paul's small house, it was very plain. There were a few sofas and chairs, but nothing too spectacular. It was a nice break from the spiral staircases and granite countertops Stephanie was accustomed to.

"Don't expect me to like give you a tour of the house or anything," Paul teased, as he closed the door. Stephanie rolled her eyes playfully. If she really wanted something all she had to do was ask and bat her eyelashes. Paul would eventually give in. He always did.

"Where is everyone?"

"No idea," Paul said with a shrug of one shoulder. "They're probably all in the kitchen, eavesdropping on every word we say." Stephanie immediately tried to recall each word she'd spoken since entering the house, just to make sure nothing seemed offensive or could be taken the wrong way. Maybe she was getting way too worked up over this.

Lost in her own thoughts, Stephanie had failed to notice that Paul had already grabbed her hand and was leading her towards the kitchen door. Her heart was madly beating out of her chest. But Paul didn't seem nervous at all. Then again, they were _his_ family. And Paul never got nervous.

He pushed the door open with the hand that wasn't grasping Stephanie's. As they emerged into the small kitchen, the couple was met by three separate stares, each coming from an unfamiliar face to Stephanie. Immediately, she was swarmed by a feeling of panic as they all smiled at her. Was she supposed to say something? Because that definitely was not happening. Not when her heart was lodged in her throat and her voice box had decided to go into shut-down mode.

"Everyone," Paul spoke up, much to Stephanie's relief. He could sense her uneasiness in the situation. "This is Stephanie."

The older woman with short blonde locks was the first to rise from her seat. What she did next surprised Stephanie altogether. The woman, who she guessed to be Paul's mother, hugged her.

"It's so wonderful to meet you, dear! We've heard so much about you!" she exclaimed, pulling back from the hug.

"Steph, this is my mom, Patricia," Paul said, feeling it was his responsibility to introduce her to everyone. He was somewhat glad to see Stephanie's nervousness had diminished. She wasn't clinging to his side like before. Despite enjoying her being close to him, Paul knew she was comfortable now.

"Oh, Stephanie, call me Pat," she urged with a wide smile, which Stephanie returned.

"Of course."

"And this is my husband, Paul, Sr." Patricia pointed to the man who was currently standing up and making his way over to them. He sent a nod of approval to his son as he pulled Stephanie in for a quick embrace.

"It's great to finally meet you, Stephanie. Paul over there wouldn't keep his mouth shut about you," Paul, Sr. teased. And I certainly can see why," he added. Stephanie glanced over to Paul who seemed slightly embarrassed. She would be sure to give him crap about that later, but right now Steph was just pleased things were running smoothly.

"Why, thank you," Stephanie replied, blushing a bit herself.

"Come over here, Lynn!" Patricia ordered. Stephanie awkwardly shifted her feet as she remembered Paul talking about his sister being skeptical of their relationship. The blonde-haired, brown-eyed woman followed her mother's instructions.

"Hi, Stephanie," Lynn said, giving her a quick hug, trying to imitate the actions of her parents. Lynn wanted to learn more about Stephanie before warming up to her so quickly. Hearing a few greetings didn't tell her anything about the girl, other than the fact that she blushed quite often.

"Hi, Lynn," Stephanie said, but her tone sounded much more genuine than Lynn's. Paul seemed to be growing bored of this whole meet-and-greet thing. He knew all these people anyways.

"You know Stephanie, I have some stories to share with you about Paul's childhood that I think you would find very interesting," Patricia said with a wink.

"Mom!" Paul whined, which triggered a devious smirk to appear on Stephanie's sweet little face.

"And I'm just _dying_ to hear some of those stories, Pat," Stephanie stated with a click of her tongue.

"Don't forget the photo albums, Pat!" Paul, Sr. called out as he headed for the living room.

"Oh my God," Paul groaned. Even Lynn couldn't contain the laughter that escaped her mouth at the sight of her brother's misery.

* * *

"Oh and then there was this one time when Paul was nine years old, and he was _convinced _that he could fly if he kept trying," Pat started. Stephanie giggled as she brought another scoop of mashed potatoes to her mouth.

"Mom, I think that's enough stories for now," Paul interjected, still mortified by the previous tales she told.

"Not now, honey. It's rude to interrupt," she lightly scolded him. "Where was I? Oh yes, so Paul thought he could fly. Every day he would run around the house wearing a 'jetpack,' also known as his backpack for school. He even slept and showered in the thing!"

"Don't forget the part where he cried for three days when you made him take it off," Lynn added.

"May I be excused?"

"No, Paul," Paul, Sr. answered strictly.

Stephanie smiled fondly at all of them. They really had made her feel like part of their family. Even Lynn was making jokes with Stephanie, at Paul's expense of course. Her family would never behave like this, especially not with guests. The only thing they even dared to discuss nowadays was the upcoming wedding or how Stephanie was such a disgrace. When Paul's family teased him, it was all in good fun—something her parents didn't know the meaning of.

After supper, Paul brought Stephanie up to the room he once called his. Well technically it was still his, but he hadn't lived there since he was a kid.

"It's so… Paul," Stephanie proclaimed, as she fully examined the room. The old walls were painted a soft shade of blue. There wasn't really any furniture other than his bed, which seemed awfully narrow for him. But as she had learned tonight at dinner, Paul was once what his family described as a "beanpole." Then she saw the pictures with her own two eyes as proof.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Awww, is my baby still bitter about what happened at dinner?" Stephanie asked, pinching his cheeks in an annoying way.

"Shut up, Steph," Paul joked as he wrapped his arms around her waist. Stephanie grinned arrogantly. She loved getting under Paul's skin, much like he did when it came to her.

"I like them, Paul. A lot," she said softly. The pair gently swayed back and forth with their bodies clinging to one another.

"And they like you, too, Steph. I told you they would," Paul whispered, leaning down to kiss her forehead.

"Even your sister?"

"Yes. Even Lynn. I think she just needed to see for herself that you were a normal person and that your heart was in the right place. Plus, she automatically favors anyone who can crack a few jokes about me."

They stood in silence for a moment. A sly smile emerged on Stephanie's face as she thought of how pissed off her father would be to find out that she'd snuck out yet again. And it was probably killing him inside that there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it. Over the past month, Stephanie had transformed into quite the rebel. But she guessed that's what happened when you fell for such a bad boy (especially one who cried over a jetpack). But thoughts of her father immediately cause another subject to pop into her brain.

"I'm sorry you lost your job," Stephanie said sincerely.

"I'm not," Paul responded with a careless shrug.

"You aren't?"

"Nope. Unemployed life is sweet. I don't have to wear those monkey suits anymore, I don't have to put up with your idiot publicist, and I can sneak around with my girl any time I please," Paul said with a smirk.

"Who's the lucky girl?" Stephanie questioned, evidently playing along.

"Oh, just some brunette that stole my heart," Paul replied. "I'm gonna marry her someday." Stephanie touched his cheek affectionately before speaking.

"After running away together."

Paul's eyes lit up as he leaned down to peck her lips.

"Thank you," he whispered into her slightly parted mouth.

"For what?" Stephanie asked, crinkling her brow in confusion.

"Considering it."

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**Reviews?**


	16. Crashing Down

Stephanie cursed under her breath as she attempted to shove her way through the dense crowd of moving people. It was nearly eight in the morning, and she'd be lucky to make it back to the castle by nine. Not that one hour would make any difference in the lashing out she would receive. After all, Stephanie had been gone for almost twenty-four hours now. What length of absence qualified her as a "missing person?" Surely her father had sent out search crews by now. Not that he cared about her wellbeing or anything. But what good was a wedding without the bride?

Paul had insisted on accompanying her on the lengthy walk back to the castle, but she unwillingly refused. The last thing Steph needed was to show up at the doorstep standing hand-in-hand with her former bodyguard. No, that wouldn't seem suspicious at all.

But the thought of Paul brought her mind to a much needed tranquil state as she stumbled her way through the mob. It was only yesterday that she'd been introduced to his family for the first time, but it seemed like she'd known them forever. It was sincerely encouraging that in her messed up life, there were people who approved of her relationship with Paul. And God, Paul. She was always convinced that man could never get any better. He was too perfect already. But then occurrences such as last night gave her reason to believe otherwise.

After leaving his parents' home at dusk, the couple headed back to Paul's house. Stephanie's original intentions were to head back, but her impatient lover had other ideas. Ideas that excluded any type of clothing whatsoever.

When Paul touched her, she felt beautiful. In his strong arms, Stephanie McMahon was no longer a little girl, but a woman. And according to Paul, she was a pretty damn flawless woman. He didn't need to assure her with words, for his endless lovemaking spoke louder than words ever could. Stephanie found herself craving his touch now more than ever. It was really the only time she felt complete. God, what was she turning into? "Hopeless romantic" seemed like an accurate term to describe her at this point.

As Stephanie approached the royal palace, a familiar blonde woman hastily approached her. Jessica. Her publicist. And the distraught expression on her face told Steph she was less than pleased.

"Look, I'm—" Stephanie began, but was quickly interrupted.

"Save it," Jessica ordered, holding her hand up for emphasis. With the other hand, her publicist forced a stack of papers into her arms.

"What the…"

"Wedding fliers. Look, I don't know where you were. And personally, I don't care. But your father's been chewing me out for your sudden disappearance. So I told him I had you doing some promotional stuff for the wedding. And you spent the night at your brother's because it was close by," Jessica explained. Why was she helping her? Oh right, selfish reasons.

"Got it," Stephanie said with a quick nod of the head. "And thanks." And she was thankful—that her publicist wasn't as much of an airhead as she thought. Jessica could have easily spilled the truth.

As she darted inside, hoping to be unseen, Stephanie knocked into a body. She was just barely able to prevent herself from tumbling backwards.

"Stephanie."

Oh no. Not that voice. He was probably the last person she wanted to speak with now. Wait, scratch that. The last person she wanted to speak with _ever_.

"Hi Kurt," Stephanie said quietly, still trying to gain composure from her near fall.

"I've been so worried about you, baby," he gushed. Stephanie must have had the most horrified, disgusted look on her face as Kurt wrapped his arms around her, which brought their bodies all too close together. What the hell had gotten into this man? Drugs were a likely possibility. Of course. Despite her struggle to break free of his hold, Kurt only tightened his grip. Christ, she couldn't breathe. And then the most revolting thing of her entire seventeen year existence took place.

Kurt Angle kissed her.

But it wasn't any old peck on the cheek. It was right on her mouth. And Stephanie swore he kept trying to slip her the tongue. As she felt his hand slide down to her ass, she vigorously pulled away. Taking things any further was not an option. Her face was red, but not from embarrassment. In fact, the feeling was far from it. Anger.

"What. Are. You. Doing." Stephanie's bitter words were spat out slowly, one by one.

"Kissing my fiancée, of course."

Kissing? Absolutely not. What Kurt just did to her resembled something closer to mauling. And now she would have to sterilize her lips, because the taste of him seemed to linger. It was sickening. But why the sudden intimacy? Wasn't it just the other day that he was scolding her for how she looked?

"Steph? Are you okay? You look kinda sick…" Kurt pointed out, as he reached to feel her forehead. However, Stephanie took two steps back, increasing the distance between them. She had to get the hell away from this man. And fast.

"Kurt! Stephanie! There you are!"

Shit. Her father's booming voice would be easily recognizable anywhere.

"Steph, how'd promoting the wedding go?" Vince asked with a raised eyebrow. Her lie had to come out smoothly if she wanted to persuade anyone. Anxiously tapping her foot against the tile floor wasn't helping the situation. She quietly cleared her throat before speaking.

"Really good, Dad. Everyone was so… enthusiastic. It was nice to interact with the people there," Stephanie replied. Did her reply sound too rehearsed and phony? Technically, it wasn't a total lie. Her version of the story just excluded the fact that Paul was the one who had interacted with her in such enthusiastic ways. And maybe she showed a little enthusiasm herself.

"It's good to hear some positivity out of you for once," Vince muttered. "I think now would be a great opportunity to freshen up, Steph. You and Kurt have a busy day scheduled ahead of you."

"Yes, we do!" Kurt cheered, leaning in to give Vince a high-five, which he returned with the same level of energy. Seriously? How old were those morons? Stephanie could only speculate what this so-called big day consisted of.

"Stephanie, wear something decent. And uh, get that stylist to conceal those bags under your eyes. Wouldn't want to show up to an event looking like _that_." Stephanie obediently nodded, like the perfect daughter she was expected to be. Someday, she wouldn't take orders from him. She'd be living off in her fairytale land with Paul. She just prayed that came sooner than later.

"I do have one request though, as the bride-to-be," Stephanie stated in her most proper tone. Childish mannerisms always seemed to get her nowhere.

"And what is that?" Vince asked, obviously disinterested by her desires. Kurt eyed Steph curiously before she proposed her idea.

"A bachelorette party."

"What?" Vince asked incredulously.

"One week before my wedding. To celebrate with a few close friends," Stephanie further explained with a shrug.

"Um… sure, Steph. I guess that would be alright," Vince replied reluctantly. After the initial feeling of shock wore off, she was somewhat happy. Her father actually agreed to one of her ideas. But knowing the control freak he really was, Vince would find ways to take over the whole operation.

"And don't bother hiring party planners. I think it would be best if I did this independently," she urged.

"Fine. But there will be no alcohol, do you understand?" Stephanie rolled her eyes. These were the moments that made Vince feel like the typical, overprotective father. If only he wasn't so naïve to the fact that alcohol was the least of his worries.

This impromptu bachelorette party would only consist of her, Paul, and a map leading them down the path to forever.

Almost two hours later, Stephanie found herself inattentively twirling a curled strand of hair around her index finger. This whole time, she was still trying to figure out what the reasoning was behind this whole thing. The "big day" that had Vince and Kurt all wound up was a public interview. And public was the perfect word to describe it. There had to be at least three hundred people in standing in the audience under the beating sun just to witness this. Why did so many people have an interest in their lives anyways? It's not like any of them were exciting people. In fact, each answer they gave had to follow certain guidelines made by the king himself.

As a bead of sweat dripped down her forehead, Stephanie immediately regretted wearing her hair down. The heat was utterly miserable. And it didn't help that she was wearing a long, tight navy blue gown that barely allowed room for breathing. She waited for her turn to answer a question. Thankfully, Kurt and Vince were receiving most of the questions submitted by citizens, probably because of their animated personalities. People were starting to pick up on the fact that Stephanie lacked energy when it came to publicity.

"Stephanie, this one's for you," the interviewer, whose name was Todd, began. He briefly glanced down at an index card before Stephanie adjusted her microphone. "Can you describe what it feels like to be in love, McMahon?"

"What did you just call me?" Stephanie asked disbelievingly, but she wasn't mad. It's just… well, only one person ever addressed her like that. Even Vince seemed a bit shocked by the wording.

"Um, I'm just reading what was written down on the card," Todd explained with an apologetic smile. But she was no longer paying attention to Todd. Her eyes fell on a familiar face in the middle of the crowd. Even from a mile away, Stephanie would have noticed the twinkle in his hazel eyes. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out who the anonymous asker of that question was.

"It's… the best feeling in the world," Stephanie began softly, still not breaking the gaze she currently shared with Paul. "You just have this need to be around that person all the time. Your knees go weak when he smiles at you, and your cheeks go beet red when he throws you a compliment. The thought of being torn away from him just breaks your heart. It's something constantly on your mind. And his eyes. You can read his every thought just by looking into them," she gushed on. It was then that she remembered that this was an interview and three hundred people were all fully focused on her. Because when she looked at Paul, they really were the only two people in the world.

Kurt grabbed hold of Stephanie's hand and kissed her knuckles. Damn. Every single person in the audience, with the exception of one man, thought she'd just poured out her heart about Kurt. Some people were even passing around boxes of tissues to stop the flow of their tears. For once, everyone was touched by her words. Probably because she didn't need to put her acting skills to the test for it.

And so the interview proceeded. Aside from a few more random questions, Stephanie remained silent for the most part and kept her eyes on Paul. But her vision was slowly slipping away from her, leaving everything looking unusually blurry. Not this again.

Stephanie immediately clutched her stomach, trying to cope with the nausea overwhelming her. No one seemed to notice though. Except Paul. His concerned eyes had been fixed on her the entire time.

It was getting worse. Through her blurred vision, Stephanie could make out the faces of Vince and Kurt watching her in confusion. Even the interviewer was silently staring at her. As the ringing in her ears faded, she became aware of her loud, labored breathing responsible for drawing all the attention. There was no way she could hold this back now. Fresh air wouldn't bail her out this time, as it often did in the past. The heat was just making things worse. So she did what her instinct had been telling her to do and bolted off the stage in a heartbeat.

As soon as she was behind the set, Stephanie allowed herself to collapse on the grass until she was on all fours, puking every last bite of her breakfast out. Soon her vision had completely abandoned her. So she could only try to make out the voices through her fuzzy hearing. But the noise was just making her head spin even more. Despite everything, Steph could feel herself being repositioned so she was lying down on her back.

Although Stephanie had lost consciousness within a matter of seconds, her hands remained unmovable from where they were situated. Her pale, slender fingers were interlocked and gently resting on her lower abdomen. Kurt let out a low gasp as his eyes fell upon her hands, particularly on her left one.

Stephanie wasn't wearing her engagement ring.

* * *

**Thanks to the three people who review every chapter - Brett, McMahonHelmsleyEraFan, and nicolepiper99. It means a lot to me:) And to the other people still reading this story, I would really appreciate some feedback from you too! It makes me wanna update sooner.**


	17. Patience Pays Off

**This chapter follows around Paul and his thoughts, just to change things up a bit. For those of you wondering when Kurt and Vince will be more involved, I can assure you it's coming very soon! I might do a chapter where I split it into two parts—the first from Vince's POV and the second from Kurt's. Or vice-versa. Anyways, enjoy and please excuse any mistakes :-)**

_The course of true love never did run smooth. _

Paul didn't remember where he'd once heard those words spoken, but they seemed quite appropriate now. He ran his fingers through his long blonde strands as he anxiously paced in front of the large white hospital building. There were probably sixty or seventy guards stationed around the perimeter ensuring that no one tried to enter. Ambulances were being redirected to other local hospitals at this point.

"I hope she's okay…"

"The old man deserves this!"

"What happened?"

"Is she dead?"

Paul tried to mentally block out the comments coming from the mouths of nosy bystanders. However, in their minds he was just another one of them awaiting updates on the princess. But that couldn't be further from the truth. He wasn't another sleazy media reporter or some worried civilian. Paul Levesque was a man who needed to know that the woman he loved would be okay. And the waiting was killing him inside.

His eyes were burning with tears he refused to shed. Why was this happening? Hadn't he and Steph been through enough for one lifetime? Obviously not. Fate just kept putting their relationship to the test, not to mention their lives at stake. People always told him that love wasn't easy, but this was just…impossible. How could such a simple emotion complicate their lives in so many ways?

Once again, Paul noticed the irrational behavior of the growing crowd. People were weeping and bawling. And they didn't even know Steph personally! Imagine how he felt. Paul loved Stephanie more than life itself, and now he was being forced to wait around for some health update on her, while her so-called family was by her side. This was ridiculous!

Only to make matters more frustrating, there was a stupid cameraman approaching several people in the crowd to give their opinion on this situation. Well, the first person to shove a microphone in his face could guarantee their self a black eye and bloody nose.

"Paul… Paul… Paul!"

His head jolted up at the sound of his name being called. To his relief, it was Shane.

"What happened?" Shane asked, gasping for air. He must have run all the way here after hearing the news regarding his sister.

"I wouldn't know," Paul muttered, gesturing to the men standing guard in front of every entryway.

"Did you see it? Like, did you see when Steph passed out?"

"No. I just saw her sprint off the stage. But I could tell something was off the whole time. She had to have been running a fever the way she was sweating," Paul guessed. "Did they keep you out, too?"

"Nah. I was in there a couple minutes ago, but it's not like anyone in there knows what's going on either. The whole place is hectic, and Vince going psycho is only increasing the chaos. Marissa's in there, trying to help with everything."

"You should be in there, too," Paul stated glancing down at his feet, then back into Shane's brown eyes.

"Yeah. But I had a feeling I'd be more useful out here than in there." Paul offered a grateful smile, knowing exactly what he was referring to. At least Shane could keep him informed on the situation; especially with his wife tending to Stephanie. "You see, I didn't exactly win 'Son of the Year' award in my family. I think Kurt beat me out for it." Paul rolled his eyes in disgust at the mention of his name. At least Paul could tolerate some of Vince's bullshit. Even the thought of Kurt made him want to rip the little punk's throat out.

"I think I speak for both Stephanie and myself when I say you would make a much better king than Angle."

"Not happening," Shane hissed.

"I know you're against the whole idea, but just think about it. You could really change this place for the better, Shane."

"My father would disagree."

"Oh, screw him," Paul mumbled, lowering his voice a bit. It had completely slipped his mind that they were surrounded by hundreds of people, some of them with cameras. Shane's lips upturned into a small smile. And Paul meant every word he said. With Shane in charge, life in the kingdom would be so much better—but he and Stephanie would have already run away by then. Hopefully. First they had to make it through this little incident.

"I better go back inside and see what's going on," Shane said, as he started to push past Paul, who had grasped onto his arm.

"Shane," he said, getting his attention. "Thanks." And with that being said, Shane vanished behind the mob of guards. Paul sighed, finding himself once again frustrated. With Shane, he could distract himself by conversing. But now he was enclosed in his own little world of worry and speculation.

When Shane reappeared, he was wearing a look of utter disbelief on his face. He slightly shook his head, once he met eyes with Paul. Did he find out anything else? Was Steph okay?

"This is the most… ridiculous thing ever," Shane said, almost amused.

"What?" Paul asked nervously. Quite frankly, he couldn't wait another moment. Maybe it was worth just shoving his way through security just to get to Stephanie. He could deal with the consequences later. Right now, he just needed to see her. With her eyes open, her cheeks blushing, and her mouth lips curved into a smile… His Stephanie.

"Vince had the nerve to block off the whole hospital… for a 17-year-old girl with appendicitis." Paul looked down at his feet, and couldn't stop the grin that spread across his face. Appendicitis. That was all. His sister had hers removed when she was teenager, as well. Steph would be fine. Perfectly fine. Everything could go back to normal after this.

"So, now what? Do they just remove her appendix?"

"Already did. They said it was pretty inflamed, and it's probably been like that for quite some time now," Shane explained. Paul tried to recall the time he'd spent with Stephanie, but couldn't seem to remember her showing any symptoms. One time she'd mentioned something about nausea. However, she never brought it up again, so he assumed it just went away. Paul, of all people, should have been the one to notice something like that anyways. After all, he'd been with Stephanie in her most natural state and touched her in the most intimate ways. Just last night, in fact.

"When can she leave this joint?" Paul wondered aloud.

"Marissa said they'll probably monitor her overnight. Recovery time is short." Well, at least that was good news to hear. Being away from Stephanie for even just a short period of time made Paul ache—both emotionally and physically.

Both men looked towards the entrance as the sound of applauding filled the air. Vince, Linda, and Kurt were all leaving the area. That seemed a bit strange. Paul would have guessed they would spend the night by her bedside. They weren't that cruel of a family to just run off, were they? His curiosity was interrupted by Shane's voice.

"Normally, the old man would give some speech talking about how the family overcame such a tragic event. I bet he's too humiliated about making a scene about something so minor."

Paul chuckled. It was nice talking to Shane. He was just another guy who minded his own business and didn't have some phony act to hide behind. Plus, he literally bashed on his father in every other sentence. The fact that he now referred to him as "Vince" clearly showed that Shane wanted nothing to do with the man anymore.

"Where are you guys going?" Shane called out to the trio. Paul nonchalantly walked away. He didn't want to raise any suspicions by hanging with the not-so-popular member of the McMahon family. Vince blatantly ignored him and kept walking, with Kurt faithfully by his side. Assholes. Linda paused for a moment and leaned towards her son.

"Marissa told us it would be better for Stephanie's recovery if we left for the night. She's out cold, anyways."

"Oh," was all that fell from Shane's lips. He spun on his heel and headed back towards Paul. Shane was grinning, almost deviously. Before Paul could ask him to explain himself, Marissa appeared, still wearing her full-on doctor wardrobe.

"Hey," she said, greeting Shane with a peck on the lips before turning to Paul. "You know, never have I met a couple with such a knack for getting hurt or sick."

"I guess we were made for each other," Paul chuckled. But it was true.

"I think you're right about that. In fact, I was sent on a mission to come retrieve you per the princess' orders."

"But I thought she was 'out cold?' And visitors weren't allowed to stay overnight?" Paul asked in puzzlement. Instead of Marissa replying, Shane did.

"I'm no Einstein, but my guess would be that my beautiful wife over here told a little white lie to get rid of those royal boneheads," Shane sniggered

"Well aren't you quite the genius, Shane?" Marissa teased, playfully tapping his nose. "Now I'd better get you to Steph before she slices my throat open," she said, grabbing Paul by the arm. Shane followed close by after they effortlessly made it past security. Someday, Paul would really have to thank Shane for marrying a doctor.

As they finally arrived at the door to Stephanie's room, Paul turned to thank Shane and Marissa, who headed down to the cafeteria. Paul was relieved that he'd finally get some privacy with Stephanie. His hand shook nervously as he reached for the doorknob. But all uneasiness in his body drifted away as he looked into those big, beautiful blue eyes. He allowed the door to close behind him, before slowly walking to her bedside.

"What took you so long?" Stephanie asked playfully. He interlocked his fingers with hers and took a seat in the cushioned chair already provided next to the hospital bed.

"I would have sprinted up to you, but I'm pretty sure it's frowned upon in this place." She smiled that smile he would die for. Paul was glad to see Stephanie looking like her normal self again. Her wavy brown strands were loosely tangled and rested upon her shoulders. Her skin had certainly gained its pigment back, including the light shade of pink that always stained her cheeks.

"Since when are you one to play by the rules, Levesque?"

"Since your sister-in-law literally gripped my arm the whole way up here." Stephanie giggled and leaned over to brush her lips against his cheek. "I was worried about you," he admitted.

"Well there's no need for that anymore. I'm perfectly well, especially now that I'm with you." Paul closed his eyes for a moment when he felt her hand lightly squeeze his fingers reassuringly. Her scent was so intoxicating, as he breathed her in. How the hell had he ended up with this… goddess? Stephanie was flawless and amazing and beautiful in every way. Paul, on the other hand, resorted to thievery at an early age, didn't have a job, and should be considered a nobody in the eyes of someone like Steph. He didn't deserve her at all.

When he opened his eyes, he felt Stephanie's hand gently rub at the top of his cheek. Her fingertips were wet against his soft skin.

It didn't take long for him to realize that it wasn't her fingertips producing the moisture. They were just wiping it away. For the first time since he was a small boy, Paul Levesque was crying.

He scooted closer to the bed and leaned his head against Stephanie's shoulder. God, he needed to be close to her before he completely fell apart. Her lips placed a tender kiss upon his temple before brushing against the top of his ear.

"Please don't cry," she hushed. "You have such a beautiful smile." Paul's lips curved upwards as he recalled once telling her something along those lines. He briefly remembered it being the first night they officially met. The night when he realized that his feelings for her were much too strong to contain. Despite the wetness still present in his eyes, Paul looked up at Stephanie with that genuine smile she'd been awaiting. "Now that's more like it."

"Stephanie, I love you so much."

"And I love you," she replied, as Paul snuggled closer into her neck. "At least with us, there's never a dull moment."

"Seriously. We're always living on the edge."

"Do you think that will ever change?"

"Maybe," Paul answered with a light shrug. "Or maybe not."

"I hope not. Love is life's greatest adventure."

"I'm down with that, as long as it doesn't end us up in the emergency room every other day." Stephanie chuckled as she brushed through Paul's hair with her slender fingers.

"Sounds like a plan."

**Reviews please? :-)**


	18. Urgent Meeting

Well, we're getting near the end (I think) lol. Basically, from here on out, things are gonna start happening which lead to OTHER things happening...which leads to the end. Hope that doesn't sound too confusing. Anyways, the chapter after this one will clear up some of that. As always, keep the reviews coming. And I'm not sure if I'll be able to fit in a chapter from Kurt/Vince's POV. But if there are enough people requesting it, I'll try to squeeze it in :-)

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Stephanie clutched the slightly wrinkled piece of paper to her chest, almost protectively. Slowly, she lifted it up to her face. God, it even smelled like Paul. That sweet, exhilarating scent that would immediately invade the space he occupied. He always smelled that way, whether he was wearing dress clothes, sweats and a t-shirt, or even nothing at all. Her eyes once again re-read the neatly printed words across the page, admiring every letter of his incredible handwriting.

_Steph,_

_It's so weird not having you around me all the time. Although in reality it's only been a week since we've last been together, it feels like forever. I guess I never realized how unbelievably dull my life was before I met you. I find myself talking out loud as if you were there to hear me. Everyone thinks I'm mentally insane or something. My parents keep encouraging me to stay with them for the time being, but I'm in no mood to be with anyone but you. Maybe I can think up a good bedtime story to tell for when I next see you._

_How's the wedding crap coming along? I'm sorry that your father's confined you to the castle. You wouldn't be sneaking out if it weren't for me. Hopefully your dress isn't suffocating you and Angle isn't being too much of an asshole. Please tell me you're taking care of yourself, Steph. No more trips to the emergency room, alright? Make me that promise to help me attain some peace of mind. And be sure to thank Izzy for being our little messenger with these letters. _

_Maybe we can meet up soon. You mentioned something about a "bachelorette party?" Count me in, McMahon. I love a good party, you know. Well… I miss you like crazy. And remember that no matter what, I'll always be there with you. You have my whole heart, Steph. Keep it safe for me while we're apart, okay? I love you._

_Paul._

Her lips formed into a content smile. Each letter she'd received from Paul was just so… perfect. His words alone could make her giggle aloud or be on the verge of joyful tears. And by some crazy, impossible miracle, he was all hers. Other girls would kill to have a sexy, smart, sweet man like Paul on their arm. Steph just must have been lucky—aside from the fact that they still had several obstacles to overcome. But marriage was her main goal by the end of this. The idea of spending the rest of her life with Paul just motivated her even more to fight for them.

They would probably live somewhere nice—green grass, white picket fence, wooden floors. Their house would be simple, yet adorable. Plain, but extraordinary. They would wake up wearing nothing but the bed sheets while rays of the early morning sun would shine through their bedroom window. The diamond ring on her finger would glisten as the light reflected off of it. Life would be absolutely fantastic. Maybe they would even have kids one day. One boy and one girl. Yes, that sounded good. Although they never really discussed the topic, it was still something to think about for the future. However, Stephanie still needed another ten years or so before diving right into motherhood. And she assumed Paul wasn't ready for that either.

Stephanie silently scolded herself for having those stupid thoughts. Why the hell was she worrying about the future when she would barely make it out of the present? While Paul was likely thinking up a plan to save her from marrying Kurt, she was dreaming up some fantasy life with picket fences and children.

Deciding to be more useful with her free time, Stephanie began to write back to Paul. Her handwriting wasn't nearly as neat as Paul's, but the blue ink she used really made it pop off the white page. Basically, she just updated Paul on how her life was going and kept stating that she missed him a bunch. She told him about how Marissa had been conducting several health check-ups on her since the operation. Steph even made a point to say that she was in fact taking care of herself, despite that being far from the truth.

When was the last time she'd slept for more than an hour anyways? Plus, Stephanie had begun the terrible habit of skipping meals. And her mother wasn't helping the situation at all. Linda encouraged her daughter to continue starving herself in attempt to "lose a few pounds in time for the wedding." It was getting so ridiculous to the point where Izzy would have to come upstairs with leftovers and force the food down Steph's throat. But Paul could never discover that piece of information. She'd be in a heap of trouble. The kind of trouble she couldn't sweet talk her way out of.

Between the sleepless nights and lack of food, Stephanie was feeling crappier than she did before the removal of her appendix. Maybe it had something to do with the eleven days separating now from the actual wedding day. Eleven days. Not even two weeks.

"Stephanie! Come down here for a minute, will you?" Linda hollered. Stephanie groaned as she locked away her unfinished letter to Paul in her top desk drawer. God, probably another day full of awful pre-wedding events awaited her. "Stephanie!"

"I'm coming, Mother!" Stephanie yelled in annoyance, as she stomped her feet all the way down the stairs. Did anyone around here have the slightest bit of patience anymore? Apparently not, because Linda had a less-than-pleased look on her face as Steph approached her in the front room of the castle. What was the old bag so bitter about now?

"Stephanie, there's still so much to discuss concerning the wedding," Linda stated.

"Like what…?" Stephanie wondered aloud. She swore they'd spent the last week going over every possible detail of the damn event. What was left at this point?

"Bridesmaids, of course," Linda stated. Crap, maybe they hadn't gone over _every _possible detail. "I was thinking that your maid of honor could be Kurt's sister." Naturally, Stephanie blurted out the first thing that crossed her mind.

"Kurt has a sister?"

"Yes," Linda began. She obviously looked disappointed in her daughter, as if this was something she should have known. Well, it wasn't Stephanie's fault that she and Kurt never discussed their siblings. Actually, they didn't discuss anything at all. Or talk at all. "Her name is Le'Anne. I've met her a few times. And she is just a _lovely_ girl, Stephanie. I think she could really be a huge help to you during the wedding."

"But I don't even know her, Mom," Stephanie interjected.

"Well, now's the time to start getting to know her. In eleven days, she'll be your sister, too."

"But she can't be the maid of honor!" Linda wore a face of both concern and irritation at Stephanie's whiny outburst. Why was her daughter acting like a rotten child as of late? She'd anticipated Stephanie's behavior to improve after her appendicitis was taken care of, but that obviously wasn't the case.

"And why not?"

"Mom, I know this may come to a huge surprise to you, but this is _my _wedding. Not yours. If you want Le'Anne Angle to be the maid of honor, well, good for you, dammit! Invite her to _your _wedding, because she's not going to be _my_ maid of honor. I can make my own decisions," Stephanie snapped. This was probably the first time she'd ever been so direct with her mother when it came to standing up for herself. And Steph had to admit it felt pretty damn good.

"Well, if you don't mind me asking, who will be your maid of honor?" The answer almost fell from Stephanie's lips instantly.

"Izzy."

"The stylist?" Linda asked disbelievingly.

"Yes. I like her," Stephanie answered confidently. At least with Izzy as her maid of honor, it would be a great opportunity to put together an escape plan for Stephanie and Paul. Plus, weren't you supposed to have your best friend play that role?

"Are you sure about that dear? She doesn't even come from a noble family. I'm not even sure where she comes from at all." Stephanie's lips upturned into a smile, as she recognized the wrongness in Linda's statement. As a matter of fact, Izzy did come from a noble family.

"I'm positive that Izzy will do a great job."

"Whatever you say. But then Le'Anne will be one of the other bridesmaids, just so we're clear," Linda confirmed. Stephanie nodded slowly. Okay, she could live with that. Kurt's sister would attend the wedding anyways. It wasn't really worth arguing with her stubborn mother over every detail.

"Alright. As long as Marissa gets to be one, too."

"Fair enough. And since you have no problem bringing your employees into this, Jessica will be a bridesmaid as well." Stephanie tried to stifle an evident eye roll. Her publicist was the last person she wanted as a part of the bridal party, but her mother seemed fairly keen on the idea. "That makes four. And Kurt's four brothers are already his groomsmen. How perfect."

Overall, it had turned into a childish game between Stephanie and Linda where they would counter each decision with another one. It took Stephanie a while to realize what nonsense all of this was anyways. It's not like she'd ever make it to her own wedding. By the time April 15th rolled around, she and Paul would hopefully be on the other side of the planet, far away from all these lunatics.

"Stephanie!" Ugh, she would recognize that horrid voice anywhere.

"Hi, Kurt."

His long arms reached around her, as he pulled her in for a tight embrace. Stephanie had been extra aware of his hands that were obviously capable of roaming, ever since the ass-grabbing incident last week. Kurt placed a kiss to her forehead before turning to Linda.

"How's the wedding planning going, girls?" he asked excitedly.

"Wonderful!" Linda replied, clasping her hands together.

"That's excellent, Mom!" Kurt cheered. Stephanie really wished he would stop referring to her parents as if they were "his" parents. He really was such an ass-kisser. It would be a shame that Paul wouldn't ever get the chance to bust his face wide open. Certainly, that would be an event worth attending.

"Steph!" Izzy called from behind them. Stephanie immediately turned at the sound of her best friend's voice. Izzy quickly hugged her before courteously glancing over at Linda and Kurt. "I need to talk to you for a moment." Her tone was abnormally serious. Oh, God. Hopefully nothing had happened to Paul. Her stomach was beginning to turn at the thought of that. "In private," Izzy added in clarification.

"Okay. Mom…Kurt…I'll see you guys later," Stephanie said dismissively before running off with Izzy up to her bedroom.

"What happened?" Stephanie asked worriedly as Izzy slammed the door shut behind them, remembering to lock it. Izzy plopped down on Steph's bed before staring down at the carpet deep in thought. Stephanie shifted her weight from side to side as she waited for her friend to provide her with some sort of explanation.

"Marissa needs to see you," she finally blurted out.

"What? Why? Is she okay? Did something happen? Is Shane okay?" Stephanie was spitting out questions by the second. Her blue eyes were suddenly flooded with concern for her brother and sister-in-law. Hadn't she been through enough disaster already?

"I honestly don't know. I ran into Marissa downstairs earlier—before you woke up. All she said that was she needed to talk to you and that it was urgent."

"Why couldn't she wake me up to talk to me if it's so urgent?" Stephanie asked curiously.

"No idea. She darted out of there pretty quick. Whatever it is she wants to talk about is probably something not to be overheard by your parents, or anyone for that matter. So you'd better get going soon."

"Izzy! My parents will never let me out of this castle without a good reason. You know that!" Stephanie sighed in frustration as she leaned against the wall. She felt Izzy's hand rub her arm gently.

"So make one up. Say that Marissa needs to monitor your health once more before the wedding," she suggested with a shrug of one shoulder. Izzy to the rescue once again! What would Steph do without this girl? Her quick wits, sneakiness, and advice had surely gotten Stephanie through some difficult times.

"Do me a favor and stop being so brilliant, okay?" Stephanie teased as she wrapped her arms around Izzy's neck.

"You can't get rid of what's naturally there," Izzy bragged with a smirk.

After giving a long persuasive speech to her father, Stephanie was finally on her way to Shane and Marissa's house—accompanied by a guard of course. At this point, her parents couldn't trust her wandering the streets alone for fear that she'd end up in trouble. The guards name was Bill or Will…something like that. He steered the reins of the horse-drawn carriage while Stephanie sat in the passenger seat. It was nothing like riding with Paul.

The taste of dry blood was present on her bottom lip as a result of nervously chewing on it. Stephanie couldn't help but let her mind speculate on what it was that needed to be discussed so urgently with Marissa. What if something happened to Paul? Or Shane? But it couldn't be Paul, right? He'd sent her a letter dated back to yesterday. Surely nothing too serious could have happened to him in the period of twenty-four hours. But Shane… God, if something happened to her only brother Stephanie would be devastated. But so would Marissa. She wouldn't have made a visit to the castle this morning if Shane's life was the one in jeopardy. As the carriage pulled up in front of their house, a light bulb went off in Stephanie's head. Crap. The night at the hospital. Stephanie and Paul were left alone in the room, while Shane and Marissa were off at who knows where. That meant that any nurse, doctor, or patient could have peaked in the room and seen Steph and Paul together. Holding hands. Hugging. Kissing. Their dirty little secret would be worldwide news within a matter of time.

"Ma'am, we've arrived," Bill (or Will) announced. Stephanie didn't bother to thank him as she hopped out of the carriage. With her left hand, she held up her long pink gown to keep from stumbling over it as she ran to the front door.

She vigorously pounded her fist against the thick wood. Shit. No answer. She knocked again.

"Come on, Riss. Open the door," Steph muttered through her clenched teeth. Her foot nervously tapped against the concrete ground.

She breathed a sigh of relief when the door slowly opened, revealing an expressionless Marissa. All Stephanie wanted to do was hug her and cry and scream and ask what was wrong. But instead, she stood there frozen in her tracks, too scared to make a single movement.

"Come inside, Steph." Marissa's normally upbeat tone sounded frightened.

Stephanie stepped through the doorframe and followed her sister-in-law to the living room. The suspense alone was killing her inside. Marissa casually sat down on the burgundy sofa and gestured to the identical one sitting across from it.

"You might want to sit down for this." Those words were never good ones to hear. It was common fact that Stephanie was prone to fainting and passing out. Obviously what she was about to find out would put her in that state of shock.

"Marissa, what's going on?" When she didn't answer, Steph grew more frustrated. "Marissa. Tell me now. I can handle it. I promise," she assured her, even though she obviously wouldn't be able to. Marissa cleared her throat and stared deep into Steph's blue eyes before speaking...

"Your publicist knows."


	19. Luck

The chapter you've all been waiting for ;)

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"Oh, God. Shit, shit, shit! How did… how… Marissa, this is—this is so bad! I'm so _dead_! And Paul… oh, God! We have to—I can't even imagine what my dad, what he's gonna do! To Paul! To me! And the wedding! Crap, I'm getting married! My parents will _kill_ me, Riss! Shit!" Stephanie rambled uncontrollably as she paced in front of her sister-in-law, who looked on helplessly.

"Look, Steph," Marissa began, but was cut off by Stephanie's shrill voice.

"No! No, no, no! This is all my fault. If I hadn't been so—so careless, we wouldn't be in this mess! And stupid Jessica—that bitch—probably can't wait to snitch on me to Mom and Dad! My life is over!"

Marissa sighed as Stephanie continued to rant incoherently. Instead of trying to reason with her, Marissa grabbed both of her shoulders firmly, which brought her to a halt. Stephanie's mouth closed as her sister-in-law stared at her seriously, silently asking for her to listen for a moment.

"Stephanie, Jessica doesn't know about you and Paul."

"What?" Steph asked in utter confusion. If her publicist didn't know about their relationship… then what did she know about? Stephanie didn't have many secrets to hide from the world. Maybe Jessica had caught on to Steph's act and knew she didn't really love Kurt. But anyone with eyes could be able to see that.

"She knows about…" Marissa began reluctantly, but paused as if she were looking for the right way to phrase it. "About the baby."

"B-b-baby?"

Stephanie could barely say the word herself, as her whole body tensed up. Surely she hadn't misunderstood what Marissa just said. Baby. Steph's knees grew incredibly weak as her stomach did flip-flops. Oh, God. She was going to be sick. Sensing her uneasiness, Marissa latched on to Stephanie's right arm and helped her sit back down on the sofa. Baby. She did say baby, right? Baby, as in pregnant. She was pregnant. She was having a damn baby! Her eyelids fluttered in attempt to block out the piercing bright lights that hung over them.

"Steph, listen to me." Marissa's soothing voice was surprisingly comforting to hear. "Honey, I'll explain everything. But I need you to stay with me. Can you do that?"

"Yeah…"

"Steph, I went through some of your blood tests the other day. Something seemed off. I'd discovered high amounts of HCG—the hormone your body produces during pregnancy. My initial reaction was that you couldn't possibly be…pregnant, ya know?" Stephanie forced a nod, but her whole body was still paralyzed. "So I started going back through some blood samples previously collected, and they were all coming back with the same results. I even sent the blood into the lab, anonymously of course. Definitely positive. And then your publicist shows up at the house." Steph tried to keep her breathing regular as she listened intently. "Jessica came inside and demanded that I stop calling you in for medical check-ups. Apparently, I was taking you away from important pre-wedding stuff. She even ordered for a hard copy of your medical progress as proof that all of this was 'legitimate.' But the pregnancy confirmation was in that pile of papers, Steph. She saw it and took it with her."

"I—I'm preg…" Stephanie swallowed nervously. "Pregnant." Her hands immediately slid down to her still flat stomach. But it wouldn't be flat for much longer. Pretty soon it would represent something closer to an inflated balloon.

"Yes, you are. But Steph, listen to me. Jessica _knows_."

"I'm pregnant," she repeated, her voice almost a whisper.

"Steph…"

"Pregnant." Stephanie's eyes shifted towards Marissa's concerned, yet frustrated, facial expression. "Shit. I'm having a baby."

"Stephanie. Breathe. Listen to what I'm saying," Marissa instructed sternly.

"Marissa, how the hell am I supposed to take care of a child? A child! A human being that's going to depend on me for everything! Riss, I can barely take care of myself! I'm a—a mess! A walking disaster!" Stephanie rambled, but came to a pause. She needed to focus. Not on the negatives, but the options she had left. What Marissa had tried to explain was finally starting to register in her brain. Jessica knew about the baby.

"Steph. Calm down."

"Okay. Okay, I'm calm," she insisted, taking a deep breath of air into her lungs. "What do we do about Jessica?"

"I don't…I'm not sure," Marissa stuttered.

"Riss, if my parents or Kurt find out I'm pregnant, they're gonna know…"

"…that it's not Kurt's," Marissa said softly, completing Stephanie's unfinished statement.

"Because Kurt and I have never done anything even remotely close to _that_. He keeps telling my parents that we're waiting until after marriage. Ugh," Steph groaned. "Are you sure Jessica actually saw where it confirmed I'm pregnant?" Her stomach did a little flip as she spoke. Never had she imagined saying the words "I'm" and "pregnant" in the same sentence.

"Steph, I think you need to talk to Paul about this." Shit! Paul! The father of her unborn child! What if he despised her for getting pregnant? What if he left her to raise the baby all alone? Was Paul really that kind of person? Time would tell.

With her body still shaking heavily, Stephanie rose from the couch and started for the door. Marissa gripped her wrist, preventing her from leaving.

"I have to find him, Riss."

"You can't go to him. Steph, in case you're forgetting, your father has someone supervising you at all times." The thought of Bill or Will waiting for her outside had completely slipped Stephanie's mind.

"Sneak me out the back."

"What if your guard guy asks what's taking so long?" Marissa questioned.

"Cover for me," Steph pleaded.

"Alright."

Stephanie walked at a speedy pace towards Paul's small house. Marissa had advised that she take it easy on the sprinting, being pregnant and all. Wow, it was still hard to grasp all at once. Pregnant. And to think just earlier she was fantasizing about having kids. But certainly not now! In no way, shape, or form was Stephanie McMahon prepared to be a mother.

As she adjusted the hood to conceal her face, Stephanie spotted Paul's tiny cottage. It was only a few hundred yards away. Her hands clutched at her abdomen as she ran the last stretch of the way. Her fist lightly pounded against the splintering wood of the front door. She silently prayed that Paul hadn't chosen today of all days to go out for a while.

Her prayers were answered when his familiar face appeared in front of her.

"Steph?" Paul rubbed at his eyes, almost in disbelief. He surely hadn't been expecting Stephanie to be his surprise visitor.

"Paul." Although her tone was exceedingly serious, she couldn't resist the urge to throw her arms around his neck. To have him close. So Stephanie did just that. A weird feeling overcame her body as her stomach rubbed against him. She had a piece of Paul in her. That was _their _baby. They had created it together.

"Not that I'm not happy to see you, but what are you doing here? How did you sneak out?" Paul asked when they pulled apart from their embrace.

"We need to talk."

He carefully eyed her up and down, knowing something wasn't right. Paul gestured for her to come in as he stepped aside. She shrugged off the oversized black coat, which Paul politely took. Stephanie sat herself down on the couch. This is where they'd created the little miracle that was growing inside of her.

Paul's shoes rubbed against the carpet as he plopped down next to Steph on the couch. His arm snaked around her waist, and he dropped a kiss in her hair. God, he smelled just as gorgeous as the letters he'd sent over the past week they'd been apart.

"What's going on?" Paul hushed softly.

"Hmm?"

"You said we needed to talk," he reminded her.

"Right," Stephanie said, clearing her throat. She tried to sit herself upright, in attempt of boosting her own confidence. She could do this. Marissa was able to. So could she. But she needed to broach the subject with extreme care. If she startled Paul with the news, he'd surely send her on her way. "Well... Sometimes things happen that—we are not expecting." Crap. Expecting? That was definitely a pregnancy term. Way to be subtle. "And, er, that happened to us." Paul stared at her suspiciously, trying to figure out what she was getting at. She sighed loudly. "Paul, this is really hard for me to say. I'm just scared that—that you'll hate me…"

"Stephanie," Paul said, grabbing her hands in his, while letting his thumb brush over her knuckles a few times. "Look at me, baby." Her head turned to face his directly. "I could _never _hate you. Ever. I'm not capable of it. I love you. Nothing you say will ever change that, do you understand?" As she nodded slowly, Stephanie decided that this was it. Just spit it out.

"I'm pregnant."

Paul's comforting hands were now completely still. His chest had stopped rising, like it normally did when he breathed. And his eyelids must have been paralyzed or something, because he wasn't blinking. At all.

"Paul?" His body remained frozen. "Say something. Anything. Please." All she wanted was some sign that he was still mentally there with her. That he'd comprehended what she'd just told him. Paul's eyes looked down as he closed his hands for a moment, almost like he was clenching them into fists. He was pissed.

Or so she thought. Paul moved his open palms towards Stephanie and gently placed them against her stomach. She closed her eyes as she felt his fingers radiate heat through the material of her gown. Paul was breathing again. It was almost like he didn't believe her. Like he needed to feel the baby to prove its existence.

Stephanie's eyes fluttered open, and her spirits were lifted as she saw the smile spreading across his beautiful face. His hazel eyes looked so…light. They were closer to a vibrant gold than brown.

"Come here," Paul whispered as he lifted one hand to cup her face. The other one remained on her abdomen, almost protectively. After all, that was his baby in there. Their lips met in a loving kiss that lasted for several minutes. It was like Stephanie was connected to him in such a beautiful, miraculous way. Through their baby.

"Paul, there's more."

"More?" he asked, crinkling his eyebrows in confusion.

"Jessica knows I'm pregnant. She has Marissa's medical papers on me."

"Well, don't you and I just have the shittiest luck ever," Paul snickered. Stephanie moved her hands to his neck.

"Actually I consider myself pretty lucky," Stephanie stated.

"Hmm, let's see… Almost getting stampeded by horses, getting engaged to Kurt, having an unpredictable tendency to faint at any given moment, appendicitis... They might as well call you Lady Luck!" Paul ranted sarcastically. "What the hell makes you so lucky?"

"Meeting you," Stephanie answered automatically.

"Now that's where _I_ am the lucky one," Paul corrected her with a small smile. Immediately, Stephanie peered down towards her stomach, which his hand was still placed upon.

"This baby's the lucky one."

"And why is that?"

"Because he's got an amazing daddy like you." Paul's lips upturned into an amused smile.

"He?" Paul questioned. "How do you know it's a boy?"

"I don't. But I know for sure that our baby is not an 'it.' Plus I know you're probably leaning towards having a boy," Stephanie guessed with a shrug.

"Now wait a minute, Steph. I happen to have a soft spot in my heart for girls, in case you didn't know." She giggled as Paul playfully tapped her nose. Her eyes casually drifted to the wall clock. Marissa was waiting for her. She needed to get going soon, before she ran out of excuses to feed to the guard.

"I need to leave soon," Stephanie sighed. Her time with Paul always seemed to come and go ever so quickly.

"What do we do about Jessica?" Paul asked. "I mean, she knows. And your parents are bound to find out from her. And since the baby can't possibly be Kurt's, you're in quite the loop of trouble."

"Paul, don't you worry about that. I'll deal with my parents," she assured him. His fingers absently scratched at his beard.

"Or we could leave before they find out."

Stephanie lowered her head, avoiding eye contact with Paul. She couldn't leave now. She was pregnant and needed Marissa through all of this. Stephanie knew nothing about pregnancy, and she assumed Paul didn't either. And then there was the other question that always seemed to creep up. Where would they go?

"Maybe," Stephanie finally answered, at least trying to satisfy Paul.

"Maybe," he repeated, rubbing his big hand over her thigh. Stephanie shifted awkwardly in her seat. Every time he touched her, she became weak—weaker than she normally was. God, she needed him so much right now.

"Um, Paul?" Stephanie began, trying not to blush. This would definitely be an awkward favor to ask. After all, when things happened between them, they just…happened. That's how their baby was conceived. Not once had they planned or talked about it.

"Yeah?"

"I don't know that much about being pregnant. But I do know that it makes you more hormonal and you get certain…cravings," Stephanie explained, hoping Paul would catch on at the hint she'd dropped. He blinked a few times, obviously lost.

"Cravings?"

"Yes. And I'm sort of craving…_something_ right now."

"Oh, right. Well, there's not much in the refrigerator, but surely something can satisfy your cravings," Paul answered, beginning to stand up. She gripped his forearm, forcing him to sit back down.

"Not that kind of craving." Deciding she had no other option, Stephanie moved closer so she could straddle Paul. Her lips moved down to his neck, then up to his earlobe. "_This_ kind."

"Say no more," Paul murmured with a wink. He lifted her in one swift movement, her legs instinctively wrapping around his waist. Stephanie moved her mouth to his as Paul carried her to the bedroom.

Maybe they were both pretty damn lucky.

* * *

Leave your reviews! What do you think will happen next? What would you _like_ to see happen next?


	20. Warning in Disguise

With her heart racing rapidly, Stephanie tapped her foot against the floor of the moving carriage. It turned out the guard's name was in fact Will, and he was certainly not pleased with her timing. Supposedly, he'd been giving Marissa a rough time while Stephanie was off visiting Paul. But Marissa wouldn't dare tell Will where she had actually gone off to. Instead she'd been rattling off lies to him for about an hour, until Stephanie miraculously turned up and "was feeling much better."

As of now, Will had nothing to say to her—not that Stephanie wanted to speak with him. Her mind was somewhere completely different. She tried not to speculate on whether or not Jessica had spilled the beans to Vince. If that was the case, Steph would likely find out that he knew immediately. Her father wasn't the type to play it cool. He would much rather make a scene by blowing up as soon as possible.

Although Vince was constantly insulting and reprimanding Stephanie, she'd never been the victim of one of his blow ups. But she'd been a witness to several of them directed at her brother. The most recent one was just less than a year ago, when Shane informed Vince that he had no interest in being an heir to the throne. All Stephanie could do was watch in absolute horror as her Shane faced the wrath of their sadistic father. The image was still so sharp in her memory. His face turning red in anger. The vein in his neck popping out like crazy. The steam she'd envisioned coming out of his ears.

"Miss Stephanie," Will called out, detaching Steph from her thoughts. "We've arrived at the castle," he announced royally. He must have thought she was a complete idiot or something close to that. Of course she could see the massive structure in front of them! Hadn't she lived in the place for seventeen years?

"Thank you," Stephanie responded politely. She forced a smile to prevent any sarcastic remarks dying to be set free. Her heels clicked against the concrete as she walked towards the entrance.

As expected, Vince was the first face she encountered in the front room of the castle. Unfortunately for her, he was wearing a facial expression that was extremely unreadable. Sneaking past him at this point was no longer an option. He'd already spotted her and their eyes had met. Stephanie swayed nervously as her father approached her. Much to her surprise, Vince didn't scream in her face; he extended his arms for an embrace.

"Stephanie! How are you?" Maybe he didn't know.

"Um, I'm good, Daddy," Stephanie responded.

"That's great, sweetheart!" he beamed. Or maybe he was playing her for a fool.

"Yeah, I guess."

"How was your visit with Marissa? Has your health improved since the surgery?" Vince asked, raising an eyebrow. Uh oh. That was always a sign of suspicion.

"I think so," Stephanie began. "Marissa's just been doing some more tests…because um, it takes a few weeks before you can determine that for sure."

"Yes, of course." Why was her father being so damn nice and caring? He'd never shown her the slightest ounce of affection since the day she was born. The only time he took interest in his daughter was when it benefited Vincent Kennedy McMahon himself. "Stephanie, come take a walk with me."

"What?"

"A walk… like father-daughter bonding. You know what I mean?" No. Quite honestly, Stephanie didn't have a clue what he was getting at. Maybe this is how he would lash out on her. Somewhere private, where people wouldn't view him as the heartless, ruthless man he truly was.

"I guess so," she answered quietly, as Vince looped his arm through hers. They strolled that way in silence until they were outdoors and the castle was nearly out of sight. They were walking through an open field—one that Stephanie had never seen before. The dark green grass was a bit damp, and there were only a few trees present here and there.

"I used to bring Shane out here all the time," Vince reminisced. "Before you were born."

Stephanie didn't really know how to respond, or if she should at all. Her father always did have interesting ways to bring about certain conversations.

"I only want what's best for you, Steph," he said softly. "And that's why I'm so strict with you. I have such high expectations, but you always seem to be on a different page."

"Dad, what's all this about?" Stephanie prompted.

"Your attitude lately. I provide you with so much. I've given you a wonderful life. And how do you repay me? By acting like an ungrateful child." Provide? The only things Vince provided her with were hurtful comments and a lame-ass fiancé! But she couldn't say that. Maybe if Stephanie could get on her father's good side, he'd be a little less cruel when he found out about the pregnancy.

"You're right. I need to be more thankful for what I have. But I also need you to understand that I am not a little girl anymore. I don't need you to make every little decision for me. I'm an independent person," Stephanie lied. Well, partially lied. She was independent from her father. However, she was very dependent when it came to Paul and Shane and Marissa and Izzy. She seemed to rely on them for almost everything.

"I understand where you're coming from," Vince stated. "Kurt loves you very much, Stephanie." That was completely random. What did Kurt have to do with anything at all? "And he's _really_ excited to marry you. He told me himself."

"I know," she replied simply, as the pair continued to walk.

"Remember those things you said about Kurt during the interview? The part where you talked about what it feels like to be in love?" Stephanie nodded. "That was really something. I never imagined you being so…_passionate_ about someone. Kurt was very worried about you." Well if Vince was trying to guilt her into this, it was definitely not working.

"Were you worried about me?" Stephanie wondered. Vince backed away, almost in shock, as if his daughter had really just asked him that.

"What kind of question is that?" Vince asked incredulously.

"The kind you still haven't answered."

"Watch your attitude, young lady."

"I knew it," Stephanie spit out.

"Knew what?"

"That you don't give a damn about me, Dad!" she screamed. "You never have! It's always about you and what you want! When was the last time you asked me for my opinion, huh?" When he didn't answer, she smirked. "That's what I thought." Stephanie turned around, but Vince caught her by the arm.

"Don't you tell me what I do and don't give a damn about." Stephanie exhaled before speaking up again.

"You and I both know that the only reason I still live with you guys is because I'm your daughter—your flesh and blood. If I wasn't your daughter, I'd probably be living as a peasant somewhere. And I'd probably be happy."

"Don't compare yourself to filth like that! You're happy now."

"Not for the reasons you would think," Stephanie muttered, ignoring the jab he'd taken at peasants. Sometimes Stephanie wished she wasn't born into wealth. Maybe she would have attended a public school. Maybe Paul's family would truly view her as one of them. "My happiness comes from nothing that you've done for me."

Vince didn't respond after that. They walked in complete silence as they made their way back to the castle. Stephanie couldn't figure out if he was pissed or if he'd finally heard something she'd said for the first time. Either way, there was one good thing she'd learned during their little confrontation: Vince didn't know about the baby.

Now all Stephanie had to do was get to Jessica. If she could get her hands on the actual proof and get rid of it, her publicist wouldn't have physical evidence to convince her family she was pregnant.

As Stephanie turned the gold knob on her bedroom door, she let her hand slip down to her stomach, something she'd found herself doing all day. Brushing a lock of hair from her tired eyes, she stumbled over to her bed and nearly collapsed. Right now Stephanie was yearning for a good night's sleep more than anything else. Lately catching some shut-eye didn't come easily for her, especially with Paul's absence from her bedside.

Her heavy eyelids closed and opened a few times, as she settled her head into the soft pillow. All worries and fears were forgotten. Within moments, Stephanie had drifted off into a serene slumber.

"_Be careful…"_

_ The voice was so innocent, so sweet… but that's what made it all the more cryptic and eerie. The sounds of soft laughter and humming carried with the rustling wind. Stephanie nervously turned her head, spinning in every direction, searching for the source of the mysterious sounds. _

_ She found herself walking along the edge of a familiar-looking lake. As her bare feet sank into the moist patches of grass with each step, the whistling of the wind became more audible. The sky was a peculiar grey color, yet somehow, there wasn't a single cloud to be spotted. Every step she took seemed to echo in the dead silence. _

_ "Where are you?" the little voice called. Stephanie guessed it was a girl that was talking. It had to be. Her voice made everything sound like a sweet little song. But something about her words put Steph on edge. It was like she was trying to get help. Her breath was lodged in her tightening throat, but she eventually was able to respond to the call._

_ "Right here," Stephanie answered. She hopelessly weaved through the trees, keep her eyes wide open. Where was the girl? As the cool water washed over her toes, Stephanie realized just how close she was to the lake now. Her head looked down to meet eyes with her own reflection. Her eyes looked so… sad. So lonely. Their bluish color now resembled something closer to a washed-out grey color, kind of like the sky above her. And her lips were turned down in a frown. Even when she forced a smile, it wasn't showing up in her reflection. What the hell was going on? Not able to bear looking at herself anymore, Stephanie spun around in one swift movement._

_ "I found you."_

_ Stephanie fell onto her behind into the shallow water, letting out a spooked scream. Her eyes were as wide as they could ever be at that moment. _

_ The girl that stood before her tilted her head to the side in confusion, her long brown hair brushing over her small shoulder. Stephanie guessed she was very young—maybe five or six. Her skin was incredibly pale, but not in an unhealthy way. It was almost glowing. And her wavy hair looked like silk. She was wearing a loose white dress that fell just below her knees. But her eyes were what really sparked Stephanie's attention. They were hazel. Pure hazel. The perfect mixture of gold and brown. The familiarity in them scared her a bit. _

_ "Did I scare you?" she asked softly. Stephanie ignored the wetness of her dress as she rose from the water and shook her head._

_ "N-no," Stephanie shivered._

_ "Yes, I did." Her voice was so musical. "I'm sorry."_

_ "Where am I?" _

_ "You mean you don't know?" the girl asked curiously. _

_ "No." Was she supposed to know? The girl slipped her fingers through Stephanie's and pulled her away from the lake. She forced her to turn and get a better view._

_ "Of course you do. It's your_ _lake." _

_ "Oh," was all Steph could say. How did she not recognize this place? The place where she'd professed her love for Paul when he'd taken her away. Stephanie's remembrance was interrupted as a loud thunderous boom filled the air. The girl let go of her hand and looked up to her with fearful eyes._

_ "We have to go," she hushed, her tone full of urgency._

_ "What? Why?" Stephanie asked worriedly._

_ "If we stay here, I'll die."_

_ "I won't let you," Stephanie whispered. At this point she wasn't thinking, but letting the words simply roll off her tongue. Something about this girl felt so odd. Like they had some strange connection._

_ "Then take me away," she whispered. Stephanie stood frozen and said nothing. "Hurry!" she pleaded. Stephanie tried to reach for her, so that she could pull the little girl into her arms. And tell her everything would be okay. But she couldn't. Her muscles were paralyzed. She struggled vigorously against the resistance her body was faced with, but still had no luck. "Hurry, hurry!" _

_ "I can't move!" Stephanie cried. Tears spilled over the little girl's face as she started to fade away. She was vanishing, fading away into thin air._

_ "Help me," she whispered weakly._

_ "Wait! Don't leave me!" Stephanie screamed, feeling tears of her own start to fall over her hot cheeks. A moment later, Stephanie found the strength to move. She reached out for the girl, but was a moment too late. She was gone. Just like that. Gone._

"Nooooo!" Stephanie screamed, clutching her covers tightly in her hands. But all she could see before her eyes was her usual bedroom scenery. No lake. No grey sky. No little girl. It was all a dream, thank God.

Stephanie had failed. That girl had begged her for help, but Stephanie couldn't. She didn't. Immediately, her blue eyes dropped down to her stomach, which she placed both her hands on. She wouldn't fail this baby. She promised herself to give her baby a wonderful life.

Recovering from her nightmare, Steph glanced around her room. Something caught her eye in the area where her desk was. She lazily threw back the covers and tiptoed in the direction, careful not to make the floor creak. Her desk drawers were all partially opened, with a few loose papers lying around. It appeared someone had rummaged through her personal belongings. She winced when she looked at the empty top drawer.

Stephanie's letter to Paul was missing.

* * *

Eeep. Sorry for the short, confusing chapter that doesn't explain much... I just have to break it up like this for the final sequence of events to flow. As always, sorry for errors! I don't have time to edit it tonight, so I'm posting it anyways.

Leave your thoughts and reviews. What did you think of Steph's dream or what it could mean? How did you like having a bit more Vince in this chapter?


	21. Decisions & Goodbyes

Stephanie's heart pounded violently in her chest as she continued to gaze at the vacant desk drawer. The letter she'd written Paul was no longer there—the one where she talked about loving and missing him with her entire heart. The one that had been addressed specifically to him. The one that she'd personalized with her own easily recognizable signature. It was all the proof anyone would need to know about their secret relationship. And now it was in someone else's possession…

* * *

Vince stared at Linda in disbelief and shock, and then turned his attention towards Jessica. The blonde woman stood there wearing an equally disappointed expression, but on the inside, she truly was sporting a satisfied smirk. The little princess would deserve every bit of hell that was coming her way.

"I can't believe this," Vince whispered, still unable to accept the fact that his daughter would lower herself by getting involved with such… filth. And all this time he thought he'd brought her up to be better than that! From the day she was born, Vince had taught her right from wrong.

Linda, on the other hand, was more worried about how Kurt would react to the whole thing. The poor boy would be absolutely crushed. Heartbroken. How could Stephanie be so selfish, so inconsiderate to her fiancé's emotions? There were also Kurt's parents to think about as well. They'd all moved into the castle already, in preparation for Kurt and Stephanie to start their new life together.

"I can't believe it either, King Vince," Jessica agreed. Hopefully she'd be rewarded for bringing this news to the surface. If not, this whole thing would be such a waste of time.

"How could Stephanie do this to me?" Vince wondered, finally letting the anger sink in. His face was suddenly reaching very high temperatures as he shifted in the dining hall chair. "And that bastard! That bastard corrupted my daughter! My sweet, precious Stephanie…"

"Vince, now let's not jump to conclusions," Linda interposed, easily able to see the rage building up inside of her husband. "Just because Stephanie has…feelings for the bodyguard doesn't necessarily mean the baby belongs to him. Maybe the baby is Kurt's."

"Oh, that can't be possible. Kurt is a fine gentleman. He knows my strict policy when it comes to sex after marriage. No exceptions," Vince said in his booming voice.

"You could always ask Kurt about it," Jessica offered with a slight shrug. She was met with two gazes. Both Vince and Linda had let it slip their mind that Jessica was still in the room with them.

"Jessica, dear, could you please give me and my husband some privacy?"

"Of course, Queen Linda."

"Thank you."

They both watched the young publicist leave the room, with the sound of her heels clicking against the tile echoing through the air. Once she was completely out of sight, Vince spoke up.

"Stephanie is in so much trouble!" Vince screamed. Apparently, he'd been stifling some of his fury. "And that Levesque kid, well I damn sure hope he's ready to sit his ass back on death row! I mean, this all makes sense! The whole time that he'd personally accompany Stephanie to these events, the two of them were just screwing around behind my back!"

"And now she's pregnant," Linda said softly. She'd always wanted grandkids, but she'd never pictured her seventeen-year-old daughter to be expecting so early. And with a peasant of all people! Stephanie clearly needed a man that could support her always and came from more than just a pile of dirt.

"Not for long."

"What?" Linda asked, wondering if she heard her husband correctly.

"That _thing_ inside Stephanie will be gone by tomorrow night." Vince's eyes flashed dark as he rubbed his hands together, with devious intentions.

"Vince…" his wife began reluctantly.

"I will not allow my daughter to give birth to something fathered by that shitty excuse of a human being! Not over my dead body!" he shouted, feeling the blood pulsing through the thick vein in his neck. The look on his wife's face made him speculate whether or not she was on board with the idea. "Don't you agree with me?"

"Of course I do, Vince," she answered honestly. "But _my _agreement isn't what stands in your way."

"Well, I don't give a damn what Stephanie wants! I'll have her strapped to an operating table if that's what it takes! Knock her out with drugs! I don't care! Whatever it takes to rip that bloody fetus out of her body."

"And what about the boy?" Linda questioned, referring to Paul.

"What about him? After I'm through with him, the only thing left to do is watch his corpse rot away…straight to _hell,_" Vince growled, pounding his clenched fists against the wooden table. Linda jumped in her seat a bit at the thunderous noise.

"And Stephanie? Surely, she must be punished. Harshly. So that something like this never happens again."

"Oh, don't worry, Linda. I've got big plans for our disobedient daughter. When the time comes to execute lover boy, I'm going to let Stephanie do the honors. Whether she agrees or not…" His furious voice trailed off as he got wrapped up in his own thoughts.

"Mom, Dad! What are you doing up at this late hour?" The cheery voice caused them both to glance up in the direction where it was coming from. They both felt a wave of guilt wash over them as they met eyes with one smiling Kurt Angle. Breaking the news to him would be so painful.

"Hello Kurt," Vince greeted him awkwardly. He held out his hand, gesturing for his future son-in-law, or whatever he was now, to take a seat across from them.

"Is everything alright?" Kurt asked worriedly. "You don't look too well, Vince. Can I get you a glass of water or anything?" God, Kurt was just angelic. Vince wasn't sure he'd be able to do this.

"No, Kurt. I'm fine, but thank you."

"Then what's going on?" he repeated, looking back and forth between Vince and Linda who were both wearing solemn expressions. "Is it Stephanie? Is she alright?"

"There's really no easy way for me to say this, but… Stephanie's been having—an affair."

Kurt's eyes widened in denial, but he quickly chuckled in realization of what all this was.

"Oh, I get it! You guys were just pulling a pre-wedding joke. Well, you got me!" he stated with a few hearty laughs. He even applauded them for a short time.

"Actually," Vince began, but was cut off unexpectedly.

"Yes, we got you!" Linda cheered, joining in with his laughter. Quite honestly, she couldn't just sit there and watch Kurt fall to pieces. He deserved so much more. But Linda wasn't ignorant to the fact that Vince was staring at her completely confused. She nudged his leg with her own, and as if on cue, Vince started laughing as well. He sure hoped his wife knew what she was doing…

* * *

"Pregnant? Are you fucking kidding me?" Izzy asked, still evidently cranky from being awoken at such a late hour. She rubbed at her eyes and fell back onto her unmade bed. Stephanie stood there silently on the verge of tears, still not knowing what to do. It was just five minutes ago that she'd barged into Izzy's bedroom, which was luckily on the same floor as hers. Steph broke down and told her best friend the whole story, hoping she could provide some help.

"No, I'm not kidding," Stephanie sniffled.

"Steph…" Izzy whined. "You didn't think to use, I don't know, protection? Birth control? Anything?" Stephanie shook her head shamefully. "You're seventeen, Steph. You haven't even figured out your life! How can you take care of someone else's?"

"That's what I thought," Stephanie replied meekly.

"You're so screwed."

"And I thought of all people, maybe you'd be able to help me with this one," Steph stated quietly.

"I'm a stylist, not a magician."

"You know what? I'll just—I'll just go. Sorry for waking you," Stephanie said in defeat, as she headed for the door. Izzy latched onto her wrist and spoke up, with a more gentle tone this time.

"I'm sorry, Steph. I didn't mean to snap," Izzy started. "I just want you to have a good life. I mean, I got away from it all. I ran away. And I want you to have that chance, too." Stephanie's lips curved into a smile at her friend's thoughtfulness.

"So… what do I do about all this?"

"There are a few options at this point," Izzy explained. "The first and most obvious one would be to run away. With Paul, of course. He does know about the baby, right?"

"Yes. I told him."

"And his reaction?"

"He couldn't be more excited to become a father," Stephanie beamed. It still was wonderful news when she thought about it, even if the circumstances were pretty crappy.

"So run away, Steph. Leave. Now."

"Can I hear the other options?" Stephanie asked with a hesitant smile. A frown formed on Izzy's lips however.

"You're reconsidering, huh?"

"I'm just scared. Terrified, to be exact. I can't do this on my own, Iz. I'm gonna need you, Shane, Marissa especially. I'm pregnant for crying out loud."

"I know," Izzy sighed. "Well if you stay here, you and Paul would need to hide out. You're only choice would be to isolate yourself from all civilization." Stephanie thought about what that meant. Not only for her and Paul, but for the baby. Hiding out wasn't a good environment for raising a child. Her hand dropped to her stomach so she could absently rub her hand in a circular motion over it.

"Do you think Mom and Dad could ever adjust to the idea?" Stephanie wondered, the hope evident in her worried eyes.

"That's a long shot, Steph. I mean, it's possible. But you'd have to consider all the factors. First, you'd need for them to be okay with your relationship with Paul. Then, they would need to accept the fact that you're going to be a mother. And that you and Paul will raise the baby together. And don't forget about good ol' Mr. Kurt Angle," Izzy added with an eye roll. Shit. Stephanie had completely forgotten about the man set to be her husband. "Your parents love him too much."

"Should I talk to my parents about this?" Izzy chewed on her lip, thinking about Stephanie's question. They needed to consider the wellbeing of everyone.

"Before I answer that question, I need you to answer this one," Izzy stated. "How does your father feel about Paul?"

"I have no idea, to be honest. I've only seen a few brief encounters between the two of them. I mean, I don't think he despises him or anything."

"But how does your father feel about peasants in general?" Stephanie lowered her head. It was commonly known that Vince wasn't a huge fan of the less fortunate citizens in the kingdom.

"Hates them with a passion," Stephanie responded automatically. "Which means he'll pretty much hate Paul."

"And what does he do to people he hates?" Izzy asked, raising her eyebrows at her best friend. Stephanie didn't need to say anything else. They both knew the answer to that question. Her father had always proceeded to do things in a cruel, violent way when it came to punishment.

"I know," she whispered, as she felt a shiver rush down her trembling spine.

"Just please think things through. Don't be impulsive. Your decisions don't just affect you anymore," Izzy reminded her, letting her eyes shoot down to Stephanie's stomach which she was still holding protectively.

"Thanks. And, sorry for waking you."

"Eh, I'll live," Izzy mumbled with a yawn.

"I should go…" Stephanie said, despite not knowing what place she needed to be the most. Izzy flashed her a sad smile. It was only then that Stephanie realized this could possibly be the last time she saw her. Her heavy lids started to blink back tears as Izzy threw her arms around her neck.

"Be strong, Steph. I know you are."

"I'm not," Stephanie whimpered.

"I know you are," Izzy whispered. "And I know everything, remember?" Despite the joking tone, both girls were overwhelmed with a sudden sadness.

"I never thought that saying goodbye would come so quickly," Steph said, wiping her wet eyes. "Or be this hard."

"Me either. But I'll always remember you, Steph. I love you, kiddo. And same goes for Paul. You two will always be in my thoughts," Izzy hushed soothingly, as she rocked Stephanie in her arms slowly. The poor girl was practically falling apart.

"Thank you…for everything. You really are my best friend. I've known from the day I met you." A thought suddenly entered Stephanie's cluttered mind. "Will I ever see you again?" Izzy pressed her lips together tightly and thought about it for a moment.

"Maybe. I guess it all depends."

"Yeah. Well, I guess I should leave now. I need to find Paul."

"Yeah," Izzy said, giving her friend one last embrace. She reached up to wipe away her own tears that were trickling down her cheeks.

"Goodbye, Izzy," Stephanie whispered as they pulled apart.

"Goodbye, Stephanie." Slowly, Steph backed away until she was lingering in the doorway. Izzy nodded at her reassuringly, letting her know that she was doing the right thing. Stephanie returned the nod and blew her a quick kiss before vanishing down the corridor of the dark castle…

* * *

A/N: Sorry about this chapter being dialogue heavy...I just sorta wrote the scenes that were playing in my head and yeah, this happened. I tried to add some more Vince in it, for those who requested him. Anyways, leave reviews! I NEED to read some or I'll just end up forgetting about this story:( What do you think will happen next? Will Steph find Paul in time? Will Vince go through with his plan? Will Vince get to Paul first? And what about poor Kurt? Will he ever find out about the affair?

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	22. A Father's Love

Stephanie cringed at how noisy her footsteps were as she crept through the dimmed halls of the palace. Her cheeks were still damp from crying and her bloodshot eyes were overwhelmed by a stinging sensation. Her loose locks of chestnut hair were messily spread over her shaking shoulders. Heat waves had overcome her whole body at this point, likely from anxiety. To put it simple, Stephanie was a complete wreck, mentally and physically. The slightest creak or squeak would send her jumping out of her own skin.

She turned her head in every possible direction before speedily tiptoeing to the peak of the winding staircase. Waiting to make sure no one was in sight, Steph quietly moved down the steps, clinging to the banister with all the strength left in her hands. She needed to get a grip in order to go through with this plan. To leave the country unnoticed, she would need to regain some sort of calmness and composure.

"Shit," she muttered, as she spotted the guards who were blocking the main entrance. Out of all the times she snuck out, they were never there. During the extreme hours of the night, her father would grant them a short rest period, leaving the castle temporarily unguarded. But not tonight.

Maybe if she could distract them somehow, they would leave their post. However there were two of them and that idea would likely only occupy one of them. Unsure what to do, Stephanie buried her face in her hands, deeply frustrated.

"Got big plans for tonight?" a low voice asked from directly behind her. Startled, Stephanie spun around to look into the fierce eyes of her own father. His face was only illuminated slightly by the moonlight beaming through the window panels on the wall.

"Dad," she whispered, with no actual response for him. What was her father doing lurking around this late at night? It was almost as if he'd been watching her. Tracking her every movement and hearing each breath she took. Fear pulsed through her veins at his intimidating presence.

"Going somewhere?" Vince's eyes moved to stare at the secured main entrance and then narrowed back at his daughter. Stephanie's parted lips quivered, while her own eyes wandered around, refusing to meet Vince's gaze. Nervously, she cleared her throat and tried to hide the unmistakable stuttering in her voice as she spoke up.

"I was just… going for a walk," Stephanie answered softly. It wasn't a total lie. Well, actually it would be more like a run, but still… However, Vince didn't seem pleased at all with her explanation, as he eyed her up and down. "Couldn't sleep," she added.

"And why do you think that is, Stephanie?"

"Huh?"

"Why do you think you're having such trouble sleeping?" Vince interrogated her. Stephanie swayed back and forth a little, shifting her weight from one leg to the other. "You're not…_hiding_ anything, are you now?"

Stephanie's eyes widened in shock, but mostly fear. She'd seen this coming. Obviously her father would have found out one way or another. But not if she could have prevented this conversation from occurring altogether. And now that it had, she would be forced to face the music, which would be a major setback for her escape plans.

"Stephanie." Her head shot up at the sound of her father's stern tone. She couldn't look at him. Not in the eyes, at least. All she wanted right now was to be away from there—to be with Paul, where she'd always be safe in his loving arms. "Look at me when I'm talking to you, damn it!" Her body froze as Vince gripped her forearm tightly. Wincing at the pain, Stephanie tried to yank it away from him, but her father wouldn't budge.

"Let g-go," she whimpered. "Let go of me!"

"How dare you, Stephanie! How dare you do this to me!" he hollered right in her face. Shutting her eyes tightly, she searched for the words to say to him.

"Daddy, y-you d-don't understand."

"Oh, I understand plenty! I understand that while I've been giving you everything you've ever wanted, the only thing you've been doing is screwing that dirty peasant!" Hearing him say the words out loud clarified what she already knew. Vince knew about everything. Her dirty little secrets had been spilled out for everyone to see.

"Daddy, please! Don't do this," she pleaded helplessly. Upon hearing his daughter's request, Vince released his tight grip on her arm, which sent her stumbling onto her backside.

"Stand up," he ordered quietly. She smoothed her night gown before slowly making it to her knees. "I said stand up!" her father repeated viciously. Once Stephanie was on her two feet again, Vince approached her, until he'd backed her all the way into a wall. "Say it," he growled through clenched teeth.

"W-what?"

"Say it," Vince repeated, moving his hands so they gripped the sides of her abdomen, which his eyes were now staring at.

"I'm pregnant," she whispered, trying to ignore the pain inflicted by her father's strong hands. She just wished he would get this whole punishment thing over with, rather than playing this sick game with her. If he'd already known about the baby, why did he need to hear Stephanie say it out loud? When Vince said nothing, she decided to say the most rational thing she could think of. "I'm sorry."

"Sorry?" he snorted cruelly. "We'll see how sorry you are when we put an end to that man who did this to you!" She found herself stuck in a fit of sobs, as she tried to gasp for air. An image of Paul's smiling face flashed in her brain. He didn't know any of this was happening. To his knowledge, they still had time to work out the minor details of their plan to run away. While in reality, time was up.

Stephanie instantly fell to the floor as she felt the strong hand connect with the side of her face. When she opened her teary eyes, Vince was standing there with his chest puffed out, wearing a proud smirk across his face. The bastard was proud. Proud of the fact that he'd struck his own daughter. He was trying to teach her a lesson, and if he had to resort to violence, so be it.

Unsure of what to do, Stephanie let out a horrified scream. Maybe she could get someone's attention by waking them up. She noticed the guards were no longer by the door, probably not wanting to be official witnesses of what was going on. But she didn't even get the chance to finish screaming as Vince quickly covered her mouth with his hand, grasping a fistful of her long hair in the other one.

"Keep quiet," he hushed strictly, as he proceeded to drag her across the tile floor. Stephanie lightly brushed her own fingertips over her swelling cheek. Tears continued to fall down her face. She knew her father would be mad, God forbid he if ever found out. But this was insanity. He was abusing his own daughter, and there was no one to stop him…

Stephanie opened her eyes to stare directly into the bright lights on the ceiling. She'd never seen or been in the room before. And she was laying flat on her back on some sort of table. Funny enough, she couldn't even recall blacking out. The last thing she remembered was being abused and dragged by her dad.

Of course! This was all a dream. It had to be. Just like the one from the other day about the little girl. But once Steph recognized the familiar throbbing of her face, she knew her assumption was completely wrong.

Looking down at herself, she noticed she was no longer wearing her night gown, but a light blue hospital gown. Was she in some sort of accident? Did someone discover the beating her father had been giving her? And why was she alone?

Sitting up, Stephanie replayed the unanswered questions in her brain. Hearing the hushed voices behind the door, she felt the sudden urge to panic. The door clicked open and Stephanie quickly returned to her laying down position before anyone could notice she'd woken up in the first place.

"Sir, I just need approval from the patient herself… It's illegal to execute the procedure without your daughter's consent," a strange voice said. Procedure? What procedure?

"I make the damn laws around here!" her father's voice boomed angrily. "Just get it out of her before she wakes up! Do you hear me?" Get it out. "It" being the baby, she assumed. She vaguely remembered seeing the stirrups for her feet to rest in when she'd examined her surroundings. Her father was making her get an abortion against her will, or at least without her knowledge. Just the thought of it made Stephanie incredibly nauseous.

"Sir, I don't thi—" the man who she assumed to be a doctor began.

"I DON'T CARE WHAT YOU THINK!" Vince yelled, louder than he had been before.

"Alright," the doctor agreed with an anxious gulp. Stephanie's heart was literally beating out of her chest as she heard his shoes click against the tile floor while he approached her. The sound of the steps grew louder, but eventually came to a stop. His nervous deep breaths could be felt by Stephanie as he hovered over her motionless body. Inside, Stephanie was screaming at herself to move, but she remained paralyzed. Just like her dream. No matter how much she wanted to save the child, her body seemed to freeze up until it was too late. Well, it wouldn't be too late this time. Her unborn baby would not die because of her hesitancy or foolishness or inability to take action.

She felt his cool, glove-covered fingers touch her bare leg, which he was going to place in one of the stirrups. But before he could, she yanked her leg away. The decision was so impulsive—the exact thing Izzy told her not to be. However, some rules were made to be broken.

"What's going on?" Vince demanded to know from the other side of the room. Stephanie's eyelids fluttered open, but her father failed to realize that.

"Um, sir, I don't know…" The doctor fumbled with his words, obviously in fear of the almighty Vince McMahon. Well the only person that had a right to be fearful at this point was Stephanie. After all, she was the one who was about to have her innocent baby ripped from her body.

"Stephanie," Vince whispered, as his gaze met hers.

"Daddy, I'm not going through with this."

"Steph. Sweetie, I'm sorry about everything," he assured her, running his hand over the lump on the side of her face. "But this is truly for your own good." While he'd intended to sound loving, Stephanie couldn't help but feel terrified of what he was in fact capable of.

She aggressively sat up from the table, moved directly in front of his face, and began her rant.

"My good? Don't you mean for your good? If you or anyone lays one hand on me or my child, there will be hell!" she screamed, suddenly feeling empowered. Of course, she couldn't feel that way on her own. The little girl's voice in her head should easily receive most of the credit. And Paul. He made her strong, too. "I'm delivering and raising this baby, and I don't give a damn what you think, Dad! I don't fucking care anymore! I-I hate you!"

Vince's furious eyes looked as if they would pop out of his head any minute now. Before Stephanie could give her father another piece of her mind, she'd already been pushed against the wall. Her shoulders were pinned to it by his hands, and he shouted for the doctor to assist him as Stephanie struggled for freedom.

"Damn it, do something! Give her an anesthetic! Knock her out, Doc!"

"Get off of me!" Stephanie screamed, continuing her fit of kicking and screaming. If only she could break loose, she could at least make a run for it. Who the hell knew where she would go? But she needed to get away from the men trying to dispose of her child.

The doctor spun around from the counter holding up a syringe filled with liquid. _Be strong. It's now or never._ The little girl's voice filled her head once again. _Don't let them do this, Mommy! _Stephanie's jaw dropped, and she nearly choked on her own saliva. She called her Mommy! That girl from her dream was _her_ daughter. A daughter who was depending on her mommy for her own life. Normally, hearing voices in your head was a sign of mental instability, but Stephanie didn't care. She painfully watched the syringe being lowered down to her arm. Her shoulders were practically numb from all the pressure her father was putting on her. Unfortunately, she knew very little about medicine and drugs, so she had no accurate estimate of how long she would be awake for if somehow receiving the injection.

It was now a good six inches from her arm. Stephanie still had no luck breaking loose. Five inches. She tried to knee her father in the abdomen, but stopped when the doctor grasped her wrist to still it. Four inches. Three. Two. One.

Stephanie cried out as the tip of the thin needle broke through her soft skin. Once she was unconscious, there was no doubt they could successfully go through with abortion.

But the doctor dropped the syringe before he could push the liquid into her bloodstream. Something startled him. A noise.

"Damn it, Doc! What the hell are you…" Vince's voice trailed off as he looked to the ajar door and met eyes with the source of the disturbance.

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Where, oh where are my reviewers? :( No more chapters til I hear your guys' thoughts. -.-


	23. Home is in Your Arms

Guess who's ahead of schedule? This girl right here! Lol, thought I'd crank out this update for y'all. Thanks for the continued support of this story. There were like 16 reviews or something on the last chapter! That's awesome. Keep it up! (And then I'll try not to leave ya hanging for almost two weeks again...)

As of now, there's maybe 1-2 more chapters and an epilogue and possibly a sequel because I've already got it planned out. :-) So, yeah. Here ya go kiddos...

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Stephanie's tense muscles instantly relaxed as her father released his grip on her so he could rotate around. Her whole body was shaking uncontrollably, while her emotions were running wild. She shifted her head from side to side, trying to look past the two men standing in front of her. Their backs were faced towards Stephanie, and even though their faces weren't visible, she knew they were wearing shocked expressions.

"You leave her the fuck alone, Dad."

That was all Stephanie needed to hear to know who the anonymous intruder was.

"Who the hell do you think you are to tell me how to raise my daughter?" Vince shouted viciously. Tension could literally be felt radiating throughout the entire room. It was only a matter of time before the wire snapped and all hell broke loose.

"I'm her brother! The only fucking family member who she actually has left!" Shane retorted, matching Vince's high volume. The doctor silently excused himself from what would soon be a war zone and awkwardly exited. He squeezed past Shane and disappeared down the corridor of the medical facility. It was definitely a bright move on his part—because he would be next in line once Shane dished out justice to Vince.

"Family? How _dare_ you talk about being part of this family, Shane! You selfishly deserted this family because you were too 'good' for the rest of us! You were too 'good' for the throne! I gave you everything and in return, you give me nothing! Nothing! And now you think you can march back in and start taking sides? You think you can start telling your sister what to do? You know nothing about what's best for Stephanie! …I do!"

Upon hearing her name, she gulped in fear and began to slowly scoot herself towards the edge of the bed. She needed to make a run for it, and fast. This whole situation was spiraling out of control rapidly. She watched carefully as Shane started to close the gap that was present between him and their father. His normally tender, brotherly brown eyes were filled with rage and hatred. A hatred that was so strong and deep. One that had been brewing inside of him for over two decades.

"You know what, _Vince_? I could lash out at you and bring up every cruel act you've ever done and threaten to kill you," Shane began, allowing his voice to trail off abruptly. To Stephanie's surprise, his tone was awfully calm for someone who looked like they were about to blow a gasket at any given moment. His eyes wandered down to stare at the tiled floor, before shooting back up to meet his father's. "But what good would that do any of us? You're an evil bastard with no heart or soul. And in my opinion, you're getting off way too easy by me showing up here. Because if it were Paul here…" He paused and glanced over at Stephanie, whose eyes were wide with fright. "…you'd already be dead."

That was when Vince hurled the first punch.

His fist connected openly with his son's jaw, sending him stumbling a few feet back. After reaching up to touch the blood on his face, Shane charged at Vince. The two men collided at full force, letting out yells and grunts as they exchanged blows to the head. Stephanie just sat there frozen, listening to them spit out incoherent curse words at each other. She swore she heard Vince mutter that he wanted to kill Shane.

Stephanie cringed at the thought. It made her stomach twist in repulsion. She understood rivalries and disputes between family members, but actually wishing death upon one of them? That was simply immoral. Especially when it was your own child—the child that was once a tiny baby that you brought into this world. Completely oblivious to the brawl before her eyes, Stephanie's hand traveled to her stomach and a solitary tear trickled down her cheek.

No matter what, Vince and Shane would still be father and son. Violence or hatred or even disownment could never change that. No matter what, Stephanie would always be Vince's daughter, his little girl. Even after every relentless, merciless act he'd committed, she still wasn't sure she wanted him dead. Even though Vince had deliberately tried to rid her of her baby, Stephanie still couldn't find it in her heart to actually hope for his demise. Because once upon a time, she was _his_ baby. Like the little girl whose voice always lingered in Stephanie's head.

"Steph, what are you doing?"

Her thoughts were dismissed as Shane yelled at her. She tilted her head to the side in bewilderment, as Shane and Vince resumed rolling around on the floor aggressively. As the two men paused to gasp for air and regain some strength, Shane looked back to his sister with a stern expression.

"Stephanie! Leave! What the hell? Are you crazy? Get out of here! Now!"

It was like at that very moment, Stephanie was snapped back into reality. What was happening wasn't some dream or illusion. This all was very real, as were the dangers that came with it. She inched herself off the bed and dropped down, letting her bare feet connect with the cold, solid floor. She clutched the hospital gown between her slender fingers and bunched it up to keep it from dragging.

"Don't…don't listen to him, Steph…" Vince begged weakly. With rage, Shane tightened the grip he had around his father's neck, causing his face to redden as his oxygen supply was cut off. Stephanie winced at the sight, but stepped closer. "I...love…you," her father whispered. Those were his last words before his eyelids began to blink.

"Shut the fu—" Shane began, gripping his throat even stronger, but was cut off by his sister's voice. She placed her hand gently on his shoulder.

"Don't, Shane," she murmured. "Don't kill him. He's—he's not worth it." And Stephanie hoped that was the case. Because she was in no way going to admit that a part of her actually didn't want her father to die. After everything he'd done, it would make her look pathetic and desperate.

Reluctantly, Shane let go of Vince per his sister's wishes, allowing his now unconscious body to fall to the ground. His head made a thumping sound as it collided with the cabinet below the sink. Shane huffed and wiped his clammy palms against the material of his trousers as he made it to his feet. His face was battered with purplish bruises and various cuts, but he still managed to force a smile for his baby sister. He raised his fingers and let his thumb graze over her dimpled chin.

He parted his lips to speak, but Stephanie flung her arms around his neck before he could. Shane just held his sister while she cried. He even tried to hold back a few unshed tears of his own. No words needed to be spoken. The moment was far too precious and genuine for any vocabulary. Stephanie truly felt like a little girl for the first time in her life and in some strange way, Shane was like her father that ceased to exist…

* * *

The next half hour of Stephanie's life seemed to progress way too quickly for her to absorb. She desperately clung to each moment and longed to slow down the next one. Her new beginning was well on its way and it was too late to bring things to a halt.

Shane had assured her that there was no time to head back to the castle, for it was a good twenty miles from the private medical facility. He'd already packed a change of clothes for her so there was really no need to venture back. Plus, there were far too many risks involved. Prior to the brawl with Shane, Vince had organized several search parties and sent them out to hunt down Stephanie and Paul. Then there was their mother, whose stance on the whole situation was unknown, but it was probably better that way. Surely Linda wouldn't be pleased to gain knowledge of the beating Shane had hand-delivered to her husband. At least Stephanie could live with the fact that she'd already said her heartfelt goodbye to Izzy just last night.

So now here Stephanie sat, beside her brother, in a carriage that was riding along uncharted land to bring them to their destination. She leaned her head on his shoulder, letting it settle into the crook of his neck, and sighed. Her breath was warm against the soft skin of Shane's throat.

"It's finally happening, isn't it?"

A thoughtful smile adorned Shane's handsome face as he looked down at his baby sister.

"I guess so," he whispered, a little disbelievingly. "Are you scared?"

"Terrified," she breathed out.

"But this place is more terrifying." And truer words had never been spoken. McMahon was a country home to selfishness, unwarranted social classes, ridiculous laws, and a cruel dictator.

"I'll back you up on that," Stephanie chuckled. As Shane pulled the reigns to turn the corner, the sunlight beamed down, causing her engagement ring to glisten in its presence. She'd never remembered even putting it on. To be honest, she'd carelessly misplaced the thing not too long ago. Lifting her head up, Stephanie stared at Shane suspiciously.

"What?"

"When did I put this on?" she asked, wiggling her fingers in front of his face.

"I think our father had something to do with that. Maybe as some sort of sick symbolism during the abortion…" Shane answered truthfully with a shrug. He noticed Stephanie's expression sadden at the last word he'd spoken. "Sorry."

"It's fine…we're fine." Her blue eyes lit up blissfully as she rubbed her abdomen in a circular motion. The fact that the baby was still alive was a miracle of its own. She was truly blessed at the way things had turned out when it came to their unborn child. Looking back now, there were so many opportunities for something to go wrong.

Stephanie slid the shiny rock off her finger and glared at it one last time before blatantly tossing it out the side of the carriage. A clinking sound filled the air as it clashed with the hard ground behind them. Shane stifled back a laugh at the look of pride on his sister's face.

"It really was the ugliest ring I've ever seen."

"Given to you by the ugliest man you've ever seen," Shane added with a wicked smile.

"What ever did happen to Kurt? Did you see him last night?"

"To be honest, I haven't got a clue nor do I even care. I received word from Izzy that Vince knew about the pregnancy and that the letter to Paul had gone missing. I rushed to the castle right away and was able to pry the information as to where he took you out of one of the morons working the nightshift. When he said Dad took you to the hospital, I knew I only had so much time before…" Shane's voice trailed off awkwardly, sensing the uneasiness on his sister's face as he recalled the events. "Yeah. And that's pretty much all. I'm sure someone will inform Kurt that you've left the country. Either that, or he'll find out when his bride doesn't come walking down the aisle."

"You'll have to record that for me," Stephanie chuckled, playfully nudging her brother. Kurt Angle was one person she didn't have a problem with wishing death upon. The pompous prick was truly deserving of the supposed heartbreak that was coming his way. He could drop off the face of the planet and Stephanie could really care less. The guy was flat-out foolish for ever even believing that she was capable of loving someone so repulsive such as him.

As the carriage began to slow down in speed, Stephanie turned to face Shane who was drawing the horses to a stop.

"Are we here?"

No words left Shane's mouth in response to her question. Instead, his lips expanded into a sly smile and he gestured his head towards the outside of the carriage. Completely perplexed, Stephanie followed her brother's gaze with her own eyes and felt her heart flutter at the sight.

For the first time in her life, Stephanie saw the ocean—the rough water forming into large swells and waves crashing against the sharp rocks. Sea gulls dived to the surface while the wind carried the sound of their cries. Just the smell of the salt water and the light breeze were so heavenly.

But as captivating as it all was, Stephanie's attention was fully directed at something else. Someone else.

After climbing out of the carriage, she excitedly sprinted the distance to the wooden dock and leapt into the strong, safe arms of the man who owned her heart. Tears burned in her eyes as she held him tight. His big hands ran along her back soothingly as he dropped a gentle kiss in her chestnut locks.

"Paul."

"I'm right here, baby," he hushed softly against her temple.

"I don't want to be without you ever," Stephanie whispered as they pulled apart. His hazel eyes stared down at her lovingly and his smooth fingertips brushed her cheek.

"You'll never have to."

Their little reunion was broken up though at the sound of a throat being cleared. Stephanie turned her head curiously and was shocked to see Marissa standing beside Shane. The two girls met each other halfway for an emotional embrace.

"Thank you."

"It was my pleasure," Marissa replied, sending a smile to Shane and Paul who looked on intently. "Take care of yourself, Steph. And the baby, too."

"I will. I promise." She wiped at her eyes that were starting to gloss over with tears. "I love you guys."

"We love you, too," Shane chimed in, stepping to join his wife and sister. He chuckled mischievously and smirked at Paul before looking at Stephanie. "And take it easy on Paul. He's a rookie at this whole romance thing."

"I heard that!"

The trio turned to face Paul who was standing at the start of the dock, anxiously shifting his weight from one leg to the other. Stephanie's shoulders shook in amusement at his little habit. And he'd had the audacity to continuously accuse her of being impatient.

"Go on, Steph," Marissa insisted, lightly shoving Stephanie towards Paul. "Your prince awaits."

"My prince awaits," Stephanie repeated under her breath as she once again found her way into Paul's tender embrace.


	24. Out With the Old, In With the New

Totally last minute, unplanned chapter. It's very short and dialogue-heavy, but hopefully provides answers to some questions. Enjoy & review.

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"Can you believe this?" Vince grumbled, as he shifted the ice pack to ease some of the pain from his throbbing temple. Wincing at the pressure, he looked over at Linda who was seated at the opposite side of the thick, mahogany table. The expression on her face was unreadable, yet something about her fierce, blue eyes came across as being very cold and bitter. Since he was found unconscious at the medical center by the staff and returned to the castle, Linda had hardly uttered more than two words to him. Vince found that quite immature on her part, for she'd seemed one-hundred percent on board with his plan from the beginning. "Well, are you going to say something to me?"

"I have nothing to say to you, Vincent." His brow crinkled in confusion at the use of his full first name. So his wife was definitely angry with him, but he still wasn't sure why.

"Look, we could sit here all night and you could act all upset with me." Linda rolled her eyes dryly as he paused. "_Or_ you could tell me what's got you so irate."

"Don't act like you don't know!"

"I'm sorry for not being able to read minds." Linda shook her head disbelievingly at his defensive remark.

"Vince! Don't you understand anything? Our kids! They hate us! Shane nearly killed you, and I doubt he's remorseful at all about it. And Stephanie…oh, Stephanie…"

"Don't you talk about that bitch in front of me!" he hollered.

"That's our daughter, Vincent! She's our baby girl! And she's off God knows where and…and who even knows what could happen to her?"

"Absolutely nothing. She's already been knocked up by that…that _scum_. Nothing could happen to her that even draws close to being as bad as that."

"Well Vince, now because of you, I will never see my daughter again! And neither will you! I hope you're happy," Linda spat, as she slammed her palms into the table before rising to her feet. She couldn't stand to look at him any longer. He would forever be held accountable for driving away both their children. Vince was lost for words as he watched his wife storm out of the dining hall without glancing back. Her words had rung with nothing but truth.

Without a doubt, they would never see Stephanie again. She was probably long gone by now after the horrid events that had taken place before dawn. And she was undoubtedly with…no. Vince couldn't even say his name, nor think it. Why was Linda mad at Vince when she should be mad at the man responsible for corrupting their baby girl? Now thinking about it, this entire situation was his fault! Vince didn't do anything wrong. He was a loving, supportive father. He'd done everything possible, but the ball was always in Stephanie's court. And she always seemed to execute the wrong play.

So if there was anyone to blame for this disaster, Vince had a few people on his list. _Him_. Stephanie. And Shane. Right now, he was still too infuriated to even think about his dastardly, soon-to-be former son. Shane would be lucky to make it to his twenty-fifth birthday by the time he was through with him!

"Hi Dad."

Turning towards the familiar voice, Vince exhaled deeply and stood up to greet the man with a quick, firm handshake.

"So I guess you've heard the news about Stephanie," Kurt mumbled, letting out a sigh of his own. He'd been devastated as soon as he found at himself. And it didn't even directly come from one of the family members or castle workers. No, he had to find out on the damn news channel along with the rest of the nation! Talk about humiliating.

"I'm truly sorry about her, Kurt. You really don't deserve this."

"I don't," he agreed instantaneously. How could she just run off like that? With no good reason or explanation?

"You've always been worthy of someone much better than Stephanie," Vince admitted.

"I know, but don't beat yourself up for that. I mean, you're not responsible for the irrational, impulsive decisions that your daughter makes."

"Someone sees it my way!" Vince beamed. "Try telling my stubborn wife that. She's blaming me for this whole mess just because of the abortion!" He mentally slapped himself after coming to grips with what just left his mouth. The look of dismay on Kurt's face only made him regret speaking altogether.

"Abor—abortion?"

Vince sighed and realized that the truth would need to be revealed sooner or later. Even though later sounded much more promising, he was left with really no choice but to come clean.

"Stephanie was…is pregnant."

"But…but Dad…um, I mean Vince…that's not…possible," he stammered awkwardly. He and Stephanie never even engaged in sexual intercourse! Not once! He was a huge believer in waiting until after marriage. And even then, it was still vital to use forms of protection to avoid pregnancy and whatnot. So if she really was pregnant, that meant… "Who's the father?" Kurt asked bluntly. The raging heat that rose to his cheeks became more evident to Vince, as Kurt closed the distance in between them.

"Don't make me say it."

"Tell me, Vince. It's the least you owe me, after everything I've been through!"

"Paul Levesque." Kurt's anger transformed into something totally different…confusion. He even chuckled at how ridiculous the whole thing sounded. This had to be some kind of a joke. But his mind seemed to flashback to the conversation he'd held with the king and queen.

"_Then what's going on?" he repeated, looking back and forth between Vince and Linda who were both wearing solemn expressions. "Is it Stephanie? Is she alright?"_

_ "There's really no easy way for me to say this, but… Stephanie's been having—an affair."_

_ Kurt's eyes widened in denial, but he quickly chuckled in realization of what all this was._

_ "Oh, I get it! You guys were just pulling a pre-wedding joke. Well, you got me!" he stated with a few hearty laughs. He even applauded them for a short time._

_ "Actually," Vince began, but was cut off unexpectedly._

_ "Yes, we got you!" Linda cheered, joining in with his laughter._

So it wasn't some joke or prank. It never was. They were trying to tell him something, but his huge ego chose to misinterpret it as a way to protect himself. Denial. Yes, that's what it was called.

"I should have known," Kurt sneered. He felt a comforting hand pat his shoulder gently.

"Don't think like that, Kurt."

"But where do we go from here?" Vince's face flickered with something inexplicable as a devilish grin decorated his face.

"We go on with our lives."

"Huh?" Kurt wondered, scrunching his nose in bewilderment. He didn't understand what the king was getting at.

"We move on. Forget about them…Shane and Stephanie."

"Won't that be…difficult? I mean, they were your kids. And Stephanie was my fiancée," he reminded Vince.

"Let me ask you something. And answer honestly," Vince began. "Did you ever love Stephanie? And I mean, _love_. Like have real feelings for her?"

Kurt shook his head back and forth slowly. Quite honestly, he found it difficult just to be around her. But when you wanted to gain power it was necessary to associate yourself with the right people, socially speaking of course.

"You see, I sort of feel the same way about my kids. If they weren't my own flesh and blood, I would have thrown those rotten juveniles out on the street a long time ago. I mean, how could I help conceive something so terrible? And not just one, but two!" Vince truly couldn't believe it, still to this day. But hey, sometimes the worst enemies are the ones you create yourself. "I needed my kids though. I needed successors to the throne. But neither of them are really an option right now, are they?"

Kurt obediently shook his head before raising his eyebrows curiously.

"What are you proposing, sir?"

"Kurt, what would you say to the idea of me adopting you as my son?" Vince asked, clenching his fists together tightly. He could hardly contain his own excitement of the idea. Finally, a child he could take pride in! Someone to live up to his high expectations! Judging by the similar look on Kurt's face, Vince didn't really need to him to answer, but he waited anyway.

"I'd say, Kurt McMahon has a nice ring to it."


	25. Us Against the World

Blonde locks partially obstructed his vision as the ocean breeze blew them about. Now was that time of evening where the sun hadn't fully set yet, but looked as if it was sitting atop the horizon. It was really a breathtaking sight to behold. Paul absently ran his fingers through his tangling hair and let his eyes travel down to the gentle swells of the ocean. Thankfully, the water wasn't too rough tonight.

Come to find out, just three days into their journey, Stephanie was prone to sea-sickness. Well, that's the conclusion they'd come to anyways. Because according to the medical information left by Marissa, she shouldn't experience any pregnancy-related vomiting for a few more weeks. And as patterns would soon reveal, the sickness only came about when the water's movements were jagged and uneven.

They were just hoping luck was on their side for once, because the estimated time of their total voyage was three weeks and they'd already been at sea for one. Surely it would be traumatic for Stephanie to cope with all the nausea, each coming from a different source. The poor girl had enough piling up on her plate already. And the complete change in lifestyle was the least of their worries.

Life at sea was surprisingly easy to adapt to—at least compared to the prior circumstances. It was certainly a major improvement from being forced into separation and fearing for their lives at all times. And thanks to a few strings pulled by Shane, they were able to enjoy their trip on one of the finest boats of this time. It was built somewhat simply like a yacht, but had the motor capability similar to a cruise liner. Plus, it had an auto-pilot setting, which was convenient for obvious reasons. Apart from the top deck, there was a lower deck as well, partially submerged beneath the sea level. It was perfect for sleeping and avoiding horrid weather. And it was nice to enjoy the luxury of being indoors from time to time.

"Hey."

At the sound of her hoarse voice, Paul turned around from his current position of leaning against the edge of the boat. Stephanie was standing there, wearing only a white, silk night gown that fell just below her knees. Her messy chestnut strands were spread amongst her shoulders, and her skin seemed to glow with a golden tint from the setting sun.

"Hey you," he whispered, gently pulling her into his arms. They wrapped around her slim waist and Stephanie placed her hands over his. She slid his fingers upward so that they cradled the mid-section of her abdomen.

"Am I showing yet?"

Paul chuckled at her question, mostly because of the dead serious tone she'd used. He was quickly growing fond of her prominent impatience. It was relatively entertaining to witness. He gained much amusement out of the fact that Stephanie just couldn't quite grasp the concept of waiting an entire nine months for the baby's arrival. You'd think a first-time expectant mother would be the exact opposite, especially one as young as her.

"Steph, you're hardly three weeks along. Of course you're not showing." She huffed and folded her arms across her chest. Tilting her chin up with the tip of his finger, Paul forced her to look him in the eyes. "And hey, I thought you were supposed to be asleep."

"But it's not even night time yet."

"Well, considering you don't sleep during the night either, you need to catch up on some now."

"Is that a suggestion or an order?" Stephanie asked, raising her eyebrows. Playfully, Paul bumped his hip against hers before they both started to gaze out into the water. The boat gently rocked as the waves broke against the side of it. "Have you thought of any names yet?"

"Every now and then. I keep it in mind. But they won't mean anything until we know whether it's a boy or girl," he said thoughtfully. At that, the corners of Stephanie's lips upturned into a cheeky grin.

"It's a girl," she stated softly.

"You seem pretty adamant about that."

"Oh, you'll see."

Stephanie didn't need any ultrasound or sonogram to confirm what she already knew. As her best friend once advised her, listen to your heart, not your head. And after once believing she was going stir crazy, the pieces finally molded together. The voice she kept hearing and the cryptic dreams were more than just a strange coincidence. They'd been a sign from the beginning. The girl was no ordinary girl, but her very own daughter—her inspiration to move forward.

And now, staring out into the sunset, Stephanie saw her again. Her presence wasn't as alarming this time. She'd almost felt that she was near. It appeared as if she was walking across the water, looking down at her own feet as they padded across the surface. Her long brown strands blew behind her in the breeze. Then, in one brief moment she turned her head to look up at Stephanie, winked, and was gone within the next second. Her fading figure was carried away with the wind.

Feeling a bit more overwhelmed, Stephanie glanced over at Paul who was staring blankly ahead. So he hadn't seen the girl. Or if he had, he showed no signs of it. His lips were partly upturned in a relaxed smile and his hands were clasped together over the railing. After a lengthy phase of stress and fear, he finally seemed content with life. Paul was at peace.

Now if only she could do the same.

All the downtime provided her with a great deal of time for her mind to run amuck. Everything that had happened was still registering in her head, along with some miserable flashbacks from the past. It was torture enough to live some of those things once, but now every horrible moment was being replayed in her head on a constant loop. That played a huge role in why she'd shied away from sleep recently. Her dreams were an easy target for the memories to air. Stephanie's body lightly trembled as she recalled dreaming of her father and mother hurling insults at her when she was only a young girl. They were only words, but they'd broken her down. They made her believe she was unimportant and unloved. They'd wrecked the spirit of the little girl she once was.

But to move on to the future, Stephanie was convinced she needed to forget the past—pretend it never happened. This was a new beginning.

However, the past somehow lingered around every aspect of their lives. And it seemed everything came rushing back to her when she thought of their unborn child. There was a certain fear present within her—a fear that she would possibly fall into the undeniable footsteps of her own cruel parents.

"What if I'm just like them?"

Paul scrunched his nose and maneuvered his body so he was facing Stephanie. Her blue eyes were apparent with fear and concern. "What?"

"My parents, Paul," she replied. "What if I'm just like them?"

"Hey," he hushed, grabbing hold of her hands. "You're not, Steph."

"But how can you be so sure?"

"What's got you worried all of a sudden?"

"It's just…it's just…" she stuttered with tears welling in her eyes. "I don't want our baby…to hate me, like I hate my parents." Paul sighed and closed his eyes for a moment to gather his thoughts.

"That could never happen, Stephanie. Do you trust me when I tell you things?"

Still sniffling, she nodded her head slowly. "Of course I do."

"Then believe me when I say you're _not_ like your parents, nor will you ever be. Our baby is going to love you with all their heart because you're going to be the best mommy on the face of the planet. And that, my darling, is a promise."

"Do you think we'll ever tell our child about…all this?" Stephanie asked, gesturing to their surroundings, even though she was referring to this part of their lives in general.

"We can cross that bridge when we get there," Paul answered optimistically. "Right now," he whispered as he leaned his forehead against hers, "let's just think about us. Me and you."

"Against the world."

As if on cue, their mouths met in a loving, languish kiss. Paul's hand moved upward to caress Stephanie's cheek, as hers both threaded through his silky strands of hair. They were completely lost in each for a few moments, letting out the occasional moan as their tongues dueled for dominance. They eventually pulled apart to gasp for a much-needed breath of air.

Stephanie's eyes widened and her jaw dropped a bit at the sight before her. Not Paul (even if he did somewhat resemble a Greek god in the now moonlight), but what was behind him. Arrays of multicolored, vibrant lights were scattered amongst the darkened sky in the distance. Shades of green, blue, and purple lit up the world wonderfully and reflected off the tranquil sea.

Taking notice of her stunned state, Paul waved his hand back and forth in front of her widened eyes. Still unable to break her gaze, she turned Paul's body around so he could witness the marvelous scene itself.

"Isn't it…beautiful?" she whispered, settling her chin down on his massive shoulder. In reality, beautiful wasn't a strong enough word to describe what she was seeing. Perhaps not a word in the dictionary would ever be able to suit it fittingly. "What is it, Paul?"

"Aurora borealis."

"Come again?"

"It's a natural light display only visible in the northern regions of the world. It's caused by—and don't quote me on this—colliding atoms and particles with energetic charges," he explained. When Stephanie's eyes went wide with disbelief, Paul simply shrugged his shoulders. "I actually paid attention in science class, believe it or not."

"Highly doubt that," she chuckled.

"Well, back then I wasn't always so damn distracted by hot broads such as yourself."

"I'm flattered." And even though Stephanie said it in a joking manner, her cheeks actually did sport a bright red color. Thankfully, her egotistical lover didn't turn around to see that. "So tell me Mr. Science Genius, what's it called again?"

"Aurora borealis."

"Aurora," Stephanie repeated softly, letting her hand travel subconsciously down to her stomach. When Paul didn't hear her respond anymore, he turned back around, breaking his gaze from the light display. To his amusement, Stephanie seemed to be off in her own little world—staring at the sky and rubbing at her belly. He had to admit she looked quite beautiful standing there like that.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Paul offered lightheartedly.

"I've decided we're naming her Aurora," she stated.

"_You_'ve decided this?" He paused to watch her nod. "Don't I get a say?"

"Absolutely not!"

Paul parted his lips in protest, but was cut off by Stephanie's silencing hand.

"Don't worry though, babe. If you're lucky," she began mysteriously, "I'll let you name the next one."

And with that being said, Stephanie spun on her heel and trotted back to the lower cabin, leaving her fiancé standing there with a dumbfounded look on his handsome face. Her muffled chuckling was audible even as she descended down the stairwell. Paul scratched at his stubbly beard once she clearly was out of sight as his brow furrowed in bewilderment.

"Next one…?"

* * *

How appropriate that the chapter following Vince's psychotic-ness, is pure fluff :-)

Hope everyone's enjoyed this fic, as the next chapter will be the epilogue.


	26. Epilogue

Yay, last chapter! Finallyyyy. Sorry for the long wait and teasing you about it being posted Monday/Tues. Lol, stuff came up and I couldn't find time to finish it. Originally this was about 1500 words, but thanks to ILuvTrips, there's a sort of steamy scene at the end which made it much longer :-) Sorry if it's written like all wrong, but hey, I tried. So thanks to everyone whose R&Red this story. It means a lot to me and I hope you've enjoyed.

And P.S. Anyone have something they wanna see happen in the sequel? Title ideas for the sequel?

* * *

_All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy; for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves; we must die to one life before we can enter another._

Vince McMahon would continue to rule as the almighty king of the country, now more malicious and vindictive than ever before. When questioned about the sudden disappearance of his only daughter, Vince simply told reporters that he was shocked and had no clue what could have drove her to do such a horrid thing. Many were skeptical of his explanation, but decided against pressing for further details.

A service was held near the castle just five days after Stephanie fled the country. With many flower bouquets and the stressed use of black wardrobe, the whole event highly resembled a funeral more than anything else. There was even a priest on hand to lead the country in prayer. At the conclusion, Vince recited a halfhearted speech, saying she would be missed greatly and how he would always remember her.

He managed not to shed a single tear.

Kurt Angle, er, I mean Kurt McMahon was welcomed into the royal family with open arms as their new adoptive son. To many people's surprise, Kurt's biological parents were all for the idea one hundred percent. They were now permanent residents of the palace and awfully chummy with the king himself.

As a new prince (and king-in-training), Kurt promptly became the target of many young females looking to find themselves a seat upon the throne. Unlike Stephanie, he was allowed to select his own bride. Many hopeful women came and went, but as they say, sometimes your true love is the one standing right in front of you the entire time.

That statement was proven all but false when Kurt McMahon proposed to Jessica Clark, former publicist to his ex-fiancée. The two came to have many traits in common, with self-righteousness and arrogance being just a few. Ironically enough, the young woman fell pregnant one month prior to their set wedding date. So Kurt's abstinence before marriage reputation had been brutally destroyed.

After grieving for an entire three weeks over losing both her children, Linda McMahon finally came to grips with herself. Per her husband's advice, she learned to adore Kurt as their son and Jessica as their daughter, even if it was just by marriage. Like everyone else, she was ecstatic about the upcoming wedding, especially since she never got to experience the last one she had planned.

On the opposite side of the country, Paul, Sr. and Patricia Levesque were still re-reading the note that had been left on their front porch step long ago. It was the note that told of their only son's voyage to another country, but it could not be disclosed which one. That information was kept confidential. They only knew that he'd taken Stephanie, his beloved princess, along with him. The writer informed the worried parents that they had no reason to be worried, for their son was much safer where he was now. Nothing about a pregnancy was mentioned in the sincere letter, which was beautifully signed by someone with the name of "Izzy."

Izzy Martin (also known as Isabel Martinez) resigned from her job as stylist before she could be fired, as expected. She still never knew if the king had discovered the degree of her involvement in Stephanie and Paul's forbidden romance. She was probably better off not knowing though. She only lived in McMahon for half a year after they'd ran away. And after coming to the conclusion that she no longer had a reason to remain in the dreaded country, she reluctantly returned to her hometown in Spain.

To her surprise and delight, Izzy reconciled with her estranged father.

Shane and Marissa McMahon had seemed to drop off the face of the planet. No one had seen them since they'd travelled to the dock many years ago. No one had even heard from them nor received a letter. The estate which once belonged to them had been untouched for years now. Thick layers of dust formed on the furniture, while the food in the refrigerator spoiled. No one was exactly sure what to make of this, but it raised many suspicions. Rumor spread that Vince had disposed of them personally, but kept it under the radar. Others were under the impression they fled the country, too. Their whereabouts were unknown.

And as for Paul and Stephanie, well, their story is still in the process of the being written…

"I'm home!" Paul hollered loudly from the front door, anticipating some sort of welcoming committee. He'd been on a business trip for nearly five days and was stunned by the complete silence in the household.

Upon moving to the United States, Paul quickly became involved in doing some personal training through local gyms. His mind blowing physique had captured the attention of almost everybody. So as his number of clients skyrocketed, he found it necessary to hire people to lend a hand. Now almost five years later, he owned a chain of gyms along the east coast, and was currently in talks of spreading his services to the western part as well.

The job had its benefits, too. Other than the rare occasion such as this one, there wasn't much travelling involved. (The company was based out of Connecticut, where they nowadays resided.) Paul had shifted his focus from the weight room to the corporate office, and headed up the board of directors. Plus, he was especially fond of one particular board member—a certain blue-eyed brunette, whom was still yet to be spotted in the quiet dwelling.

"Stephanie?"

As he rounded the corner to the kitchen, Paul looked in all directions in search of some form of life.

"BOO!"

A smile adorned his face as he spun around to see a short girl with brown hair and hazel eyes beaming up at him in satisfaction. She was more than pleased with her attempt to startle him.

"Did I scare you, Daddy?" the four-year-old asked.

"Oh, get over here, munchkin!" The little girl leaped into her father's arms eagerly as he kneeled against the tiled floor, and she planted wet kisses on his cheeks. "I missed you, Aurora."

"I missed you too, Daddy!"

Aurora Rose Levesque was the little miracle who had been conceived at the toughest of times. But once she was born, Paul and Stephanie changed forever. Even though Steph was only eighteen at the time, she grew mature beyond her years and turned out to be a wonderful mother—not that her husband was at all surprised. Named after the spectacle in the sky, Aurora continued to brighten their lives every day with her bright-eyed smiles and energetic laughter.

Six months after their little bundle of joy entered the world, Paul proposed to Stephanie—this time, with a ring. They were wed four months after that, and despite once being against the ideal, fairytale wedding, Stephanie finally got hers with the man of her dreams. Their wedding date was October 25th, which un-coincidentally happened to be the exact night Paul saved Stephanie from a reckless, horse-drawn carriage.

Marriage and fatherhood were everything Paul could have hoped for and more. That's why he was more than overjoyed by the positive pregnancy test that came along oh so suddenly.

Especially since Stephanie promised he could name this one; that was a promise he had held her to.

"Hi Daddy!" another familiar voice squealed from behind. The tiny blonde, whose eyes mirrored his own, padded her way across the floor and wrapped her arms around his neck, as he lifted her off the ground.

"Hello my little Murphy." Paul smoothed back her hair and placed a gentle kiss to her forehead. The two-year old giggled before tilting her head up to plant one on his lips.

"Daddy home! Daddy home! Back from busy-ness!" Murphy sang, merely repeating what her mother had told her days earlier. It seemed she was broadening her vocabulary with each hour that passed. She squirmed in Paul's arms until he placed her back down on the floor.

"Daddy, look at my tooth," Aurora said to gain his attention. Her words were hardly coherent as her hand was shoved fully in her mouth, wiggling at a tooth. "It's loose!"

"Ah, let me see that."

Paul smiled thoughtfully as he bent down to Aurora's height. She lifted her chin and parted her lips all the way to give him a full view. Murphy looked on in confusion, wondering why everyone kept sticking their fingers in her sister's mouth. Her head turned round at the sound of footsteps.

"Mommy!" Murphy shrieked excitedly. All thoughts of teeth were pushed to the back of Paul's mind as he rose from the floor at the sight of his beautiful wife. Stephanie approached them and couldn't contain the huge grin on her face. Paul couldn't either.

He leaned down so their mouths could fuse together in a long, tender kiss. Aurora and Murphy didn't seem to notice nor mind their intimate behavior. Their parents did those types of things on a regular basis. Besides, the two young girls were more interested in playing with the contents of Paul's carry-on luggage, which they had managed to unzip.

Their kiss was soon broken up, as a small hand tugged on the end of Paul's long strand of hair. The six-month-old baby cradled in Stephanie's arms had finally awoken and was evidently looking for some attention from her daddy.

"How's my baby girl doing?" Paul cooed as he took her from his wife. In response, she patted the side of his cheek with her tiny hand and started rambling incoherently. Stephanie smiled affectionately at her husband and young daughter.

Vaughn was perhaps one of the biggest shocks in their new lives. With two young children already, they'd decided to hold off for a while before having anymore. Their success at doing so was short-lived though. Nonetheless, the couple embraced the news as a blessing, rather than an unwelcomed surprise.

Now, at ages twenty-nine and twenty-two, Paul and Stephanie were the proud parents of three girls, leading successful lives in their careers, and were still madly in love with one another. Everything was simply perfect.

"I can't believe how big she's getting," Paul commented, gently bouncing Vaughn in his arms.

"I know," Stephanie agreed, failing to hide the sly smile spreading across her face. "It seems like it was just yesterday that you were bawling your eyes out in the delivery room."

"I was not!"

"Were too," she replied with a playful smirk.

"The only reason I was crying is because you practically crushed every bone in my hand." Paul wiggled his fingers in front of her face to emphasize his point. Upon watching his gesture, Vaughn then mimicked him, although her digits were much smaller. She gazed up at her grinning parents in awe before outstretching her tiny limbs to reach for her mother.

"Aw, come here baby. Let's get you out of the evil clutches of Daddy."

"Hey!" Paul whined, as his wife took the baby out of his arms. "What is this? National Abuse Your Husband Day?"

Stephanie poked her tongue through her teeth in response before cooing and bouncing Vaughn. Despite trying to keep the pout on his face, Paul's eyes lit up in wonderment just observing the woman he loved interacting with their baby daughter. His heart was overflowing with love, and it was a feeling he solely received from his girls.

Stephanie McMahon had certainly grown up and changed in ways unimaginable since getting the hell out of that country. The first and foremost thing she did upon their arrival in the States was legally changing her last name. Even if she and Paul weren't married at the time, it seemed like a valid thing to do. Getting McMahon out of her name was an essential, significant part of leaving her former life behind. And once she'd been triumphant in moving on from the past, a new sense of confidence and pride radiated in her eyes. Even now, as Paul was watching her hold Vaughn, he could see it clearly.

"What are you gawking at, Levesque?"

"You," he admitted honestly. Stephanie's cheeks reddened from his complimenting tone. She'd anticipated a more creative answer, perhaps a sarcastic one. Instead, she got a genuinely loving one. "Have I mentioned that you're adorable when you blush?"

"Only every day, honey."

* * *

"Steph, are you coming to bed?" Paul hollered from the darkened corridor of the silent house. His bare feet connected with the cold, tile kitchen floor as he searched for his wife. He adjusted the waistband of his track pants and scratched absently at his stomach while switching on the ceiling lights.

He frowned slightly when she was still nowhere to be seen. Stephanie and Paul had put the girls to bed nearly a half hour ago. Shortly thereafter, he decided to grab a quick shower before bed since his early flight prevented him from taking one back at the hotel. So Stephanie had likely disappeared during that period of time.

Just as Paul was about to flip off the lights, something seemed to draw him to the glass sliding door that led to the backyard. Running his fingers through his hair, Paul walked over to his destination and a smile adorned his lips as he noticed the door had been unlocked. He gripped the handle and pulled it until it was halfway ajar.

Careful not to make much noise, he slipped outside. The concrete was cool and there was a gentle breeze blowing through the night air.

Paul jolted his head around to survey the various patio chairs. No sign of Stephanie. But as he looked out into the distance—into the dense forest of trees just past their expansive lawn of grass—a flashing bulb went off in his head.

Without hesitating, Paul began to lightly jog ahead. The wind blew his hair in all directions and the dim moonlight lit up his path. He should have guessed this was where she'd run off to. It's where she always went. In fact, it was probably one of the main reasons the couple had been entirely sold on buying this house specifically.

Upon reaching the patch of trees, Paul decelerated his pace. A few moments passed before he'd weaved his way out of the woodsy region and entered the isolated part of open land. And there, just a mere ten feet in front of him, stood Stephanie.

She stared straight down into the tranquil depths of the lake.

Her back was facing towards him and it appeared as if she had her fingers interlocked in front of her. Paul shook his head and mentally scolded himself for not checking here before all other places. It should have been at the top of his list by now.

He was careful not to disturb her from the peaceful state of mind she was in. Therefore, he avoided stepping on the crunching leaves or into runny puddles of mud. As soon as he reached the section of partially wetted stones, Paul came to a halt just to gaze at her in admiration for a moment.

Dressed in a pale blue nightgown, with her wavy locks of hair loose and messily scattered, Stephanie quite possibly could have looked more beautiful than ever before. Her pale skin was glowing and the way her hair was pushed over one shoulder revealed the inviting side of her throat just waiting to be caressed.

Paul stepped forward and instantly wrapped his arms around her thin waist. He lowered his chin peacefully to rest it upon the exposed area of her shoulder. To his amazement, Stephanie didn't flinch one bit. Almost as if she'd been expecting him to follow her.

"Hey beautiful," he hushed. His warm breath travelled along her earlobe and cheek, sending her entire body into a fit of tingling nerves.

"Hi," she whispered softly. Her head naturally tilted to lean against his. "I missed you."

Paul smiled thoughtfully and began to sway their bodies back and forth to the sound of the wind moving the otherwise motionless water. His lips made their way down to her neck and left a trail of soft, tender kisses until his mouth met her shoulder.

Stephanie let out a soft moan as his warm lips sucked and nipped at her sensitive skin. Her stomach pooled with desire; one only her husband could fulfill and she'd been waiting for nearly a week to be back in his arms. She wasn't going to wait any longer.

Taking control, she unlatched Paul's arms from around her waist and positioned herself so she was standing in front of him. Before he could part his lips to protest, she pulled him in the by the collar of his cotton shirt and pressed her mouth firmly against his.

Paul's big hands ran up and down her lower back while hers tangled in his messy locks. She forced her body against his, closing even the slightest amount of space between them. It seemed that tonight, no matter how close to him she got, she always wanted to be closer. She needed more. She needed all of him. And she needed it now.

Neither of them noticed that they had somehow made their way down to the chilly lake water. It subtly washed over their ankles several times, but they never broke apart their kiss.

Stephanie moaned into his mouth, as he slid his tongue over hers once more. Paul's hands moved up from her lower back to the upper part. His tingling fingers searched and found the top button of the back of her gown. He undid it, before moving down to the next. He established some sort of uncanny rhythm of undoing them.

But by the time he'd made it halfway down her back, all patience and control went out the window. The bulge in his track pants was driving him insane and he didn't know how much longer he could endure this unhurried routine. Carelessly, he pulled the sides of the blue material apart, sending the remaining buttons flying and falling down into the water, where they made plopping noises at connection with the surface.

Paul pushed the thin straps off her shoulders and let the gown plunge down into the water as well. One leg at a time, Stephanie stepped out of it and guided her husband's hands to the back of her white, lacy bra. His fingers found the hook and undid it effortlessly. He was about to push the scrap of lingerie off of her, to join the fully submerged night gown, but was left utterly confused when Stephanie pulled backwards, breaking their never-ending kiss.

Her hands dipped slightly below his waistband teasingly before gripping the bottom hem of his t-shirt. They both were still gasping for air, trying to recuperate from their intense make-out session seconds ago. Stephanie lifted the shirt up his body and Paul lifted his massive arms so she could tug it over his head. It fell from her hand, and while she looked down to see it drop, she felt her husband yank her closer for another kiss.

Their mouths were only fused for no longer than a couple seconds though. Paul immediately moved his lips downwards to kiss her dimpled chin. In response, she tilted her head backwards as he kissed the skin down the center of her throat. Stephanie felt his teeth graze over her collarbone before he ultimately reached the targeted area.

She hadn't even realized that she'd already been stripped of her lacy bra, but then again, her husband always did seem to have the magic touch when it came to ridding her of her clothes. Stephanie moaned when his tongue flicked at her exposed nipple and grasped locks of his hair, driving his wet lips into her even further. She let out a satisfied moan as his other hand moved up to squeeze her breast gently.

Somehow, Stephanie's hands found the way to the top of his pants, pushing them along with his boxers down his muscular thighs. They pooled around his calves as he continued to work his magic with his mouth.

"Touch me more, baby."

Hearing the desperate tone in her voice, Paul quickly stepped out of his bunched pants and moved his hand to her wet, lacy thong to palm her through it. Frustrated by his foreplay, Stephanie moved his fingers away from that spot and to the sides of the undergarment, forcing him to slide it down her long legs.

His strong thumbs kneaded the flesh of her inner thighs and she could practically feel his mouth right there, just hovering. His labored breathing brushed against her hot flesh before his lips and tongue moved in for the kill.

"Paul," she moaned.

Unable to bear the feelings he was stirring up inside her any longer, she pulled at his hair, tugging him up to her face. His hazel eyes were dark—almost brown, and filled with lust and desire. By now, they'd moved so far into the lake that the water kept sloshing against their thighs. Wrapping her slender arms around her husband's thick neck, Stephanie pulled his face close to hers until their noses barely touched.

"Make love to me," Stephanie whispered. A gentle smile adorned Paul's handsome features as he cupped her cheeks with his palms.

"Always."

And that, right there, is the tale of how the princess fell in love with the peasant.

_The End._


End file.
